


A Change Would Do You Good

by AwesomeGeek



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Beacon Hills Is NOT a Hellmouth, F/M, Family, Slayers, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-20
Updated: 2014-08-02
Packaged: 2017-11-26 06:05:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 100,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/647388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwesomeGeek/pseuds/AwesomeGeek
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beacon Hills Just got its first slayer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A is for Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer** : BtVS and Teen Wolf are owned by their creators, Jeff Davies and Joss Whedon. This is for entertainment purposes only. I sadly own nothing. 
> 
> The whole reason this fic came about is because I made this for a movie challenge. [A Change Would Do You Good Movie Poster](http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad178/AwesomeGeek/Movie%20Posters/AChangeWouldDoYouGood.jpg).

 

[ ](https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNmWDhqEBpg2a5UtP6_T7SvVPGShepcC1lYaqToVPL_fu6ba0g64O3lzSCU5kE1mQ?key=bkVWMkQ2eDF2UWJFeS1JemNENXcxOHZqLW1CSlJn&source=ctrlq.org)

**Chapter 1: A is for Arrival**

Faith Lehane rolled down the car window, letting the wind flow across her face; flicking her hair around freely. The weather was brisk and chilly, but she had been driving for a while now and was thankful for the clarity of mind that the crisp air afforded her.

She tapped nervously on the steering wheel, completely out of tune with the hard rock anthem blasting from her car stereo. She was on her way to one of the hardest things she had faced in years… a family reunion.

Being nervous was not something that came naturally tor her. The last eight years had consisted of an assortment of monsters, demons, tyrannical humans and horny adolescents. She also had amassed a variety of much darker memories throughout that period of her life; involving murder, jail time and sheer naivety.

Guilt washed over her as she remembered all those moments; moments where she had failed herself, her friends and even her duties as a slayer. More than anything, she wanted a clean start but had learned all too well that this can’t be borne from ignorance. She had decided to tackle her own ‘demons’ and had made a promise to herself that she would make a clean start; or as clean a start as possible.

This venture had been set in motion a little over four months ago when she had mentioned her family nonchalantly to Dawn, explaining that she had very few living members of her family left.

Dawn had felt genuine sadness for her; knowing just how important a strong and supportive family is. She saw only the benefits of what having a family could mean for Faith, and the experience she could get from that unity; realising that she would never be able to achieve those feelings in any other way. She had decided almost immediately that she would take on the task of resolving this is quickly as possible. Her target was Faith’s uncle Stan.

Faith found out later that Dawn had made contact with him and in that initial call, had passed on Faith’s contact information.

Within hours Faith received a call from a voice that was rooted somewhere in her distant past, asking her how she’d been. It rendered her speechless, so much so that he had asked twice if anyone was there.

She finally managed to speak, answering eloquently, “Yeah. You?”

***

Faith suspected that the death of her mother and subsequently her aunt, his wife, had contributed to the lack of contact over the years. Not that he would have been able to make contact anyway; her lifestyle had demanded a level of secrecy and isolation from those that were important to you.

They had kept in contact over the following months and had discussed topics ranging from sports and law enforcement to the period following her mother’s death and the failed custody arrangements prior to his wife passing away. He had told her how guilty he felt and how difficult it had been not knowing where or how she was, hindered by the same barriers the Council and she had personally put in place.

After about three months, he asked her if she’d like to come out and visit them. She had reluctantly agreed.

He had made it clear that she could stay as long as she liked and even offered to set up the guest bedroom for her. Although she had already agreed, she still swivelled back and forth numerous times in the last few days prior to leaving; finally making the decision to go mere hours before actually going. Even then, it had taken Dawn kicking her out the door and throwing her bags out after her to make her finally get in the car.

She gave her uncle one last call from her cell, advising him that she was her way. He sounded happy and even excited; so much so that she started to feel excited about the trip too.

Before the end of the call he told her that the guest room was ready for her arrival.

She turned left, passing a large and somewhat weather worn sign for ‘Beacon Hills’. She breathed in deeply and glanced down at an address scrawled on the back of an old groceries receipt. It was the address for her uncle’s house; an uncle she hadn’t seen in years. She thought back to when they had last met and realised that her sixteen year old cousin had only been around five or six at the time. She couldn’t remember much about him but she knew he never went by his given name, which was lucky as she had had a hard time pronouncing it when she had been younger; he liked to be called Stiles.


	2. B is for Bags

**Chapter 2: B is for Bags**

Faith pulled in to the driveway of the address she had copied on the receipt. She glanced up at the front of the house in front of her and felt uneasy. It looked warm, cosy and inviting; in stark contrast to the recent years of her life.

She watched as the front door opened and her uncle Stan stepped out, smiling widely. He didn’t even look all that older than the man she remembered, which was impressive given how much time had passed. The one thing that always stood out in her memories was his air of authority; watching him step down the stairs towards the car assured her that it was no different now. 

A sudden movement made her glance up to one the upper windows where two male faces were pressed against the glass. As soon as they realised that she had seen them, the one with dark hair darted out of view. The other clumsily walked left first then turned quickly and walked to the right, dropping out of sight.

Faith smiled and gave her head a slight shake. _Well, that was subtle boys_ , she thought. 

***

“Jesus, d’ya think she saw us?” Stiles asked, peering back around the curtains carefully. He knew his cousin was coming to stay with them for a while and he had been anticipating her visit ever since his dad had told him. He had seen photos from years back but was still shocked when he had seen her step out of the car.

“Yeah, probably,” Scott answered from the floor. 

Stiles peered back around the curtains once more to get a better look. As she turned back towards her uncle, Stiles saw her face for the first time. He was instantly taken aback; she looked… just like his mom. He beckoned to the photo on his nightstand, “Dude, Dude… bring that here.”

Scott sighed and stood up, moving around the room to Stiles’ night stand. He picked up the picture and brought it over to the window.

Stiles grabbed at it and stared at it intently for a moment before looking back at Faith. He thrust the photo towards Scott, “Look at it, and then look at my cousin.”

Scott glanced at the picture and then looked out at Faith. His eyes widened, “Holy shit, she looks just like your mom… but in all leather.”

Stiles grimaced and shook his head, “You could have just said they were similar! Why even mention the leather?” He grimaced again and stuck his tongue out, “Yeuch!”

He gently placed the photo back on the nightstand, stared at it for a moment and then turned it facedown. “Yeuch!” 

***

Faith stepped free from the car and was immediately embraced tightly by her uncle. She felt uncomfortable at first but resisted the urge to pull away; the embrace was warm and sincere… it was nice.

He pulled away and looked at her, “You’re the spitting image of your mother.” He hugged her again and pointed to the trunk, “Are you’re bags in the car?”

She smiled and nodded, feeling shy for the first time… ever. She cleared her throat and coughed out the words. “Yeah, but I’ll get them.” she replied, “Thanks again for inviting me.” 

He nodded politely, “It’s no trouble, I’m happy to see you.” He walked around to the trunk and popped it open, “You don’t need to get these out yourself,” he said. He turned back towards the house and looked up to the upper window, “STILES! Get down here and help your cousin with her bags.”

Faith looked at the front door and saw a head peek around, the body followed shortly afterwards and he stepped out on to the steps, making his way towards them both. She watched as her cousin walked down to the car and smiled awkwardly whilst giving a small wave, avoiding eye contact at first; he looked as nervous as she felt at that moment. 

Her uncle nudged Stiles, harder than was necessary, “While we wait for your powers of telekinesis to materialise, do you want to try carrying them by hand?” 

“He doesn’t have to, I can carry them,” Faith offered. She reached in to the trunk and pulled out a few large duffle bags and smaller holdall, placing them tenderly at her feet. 

He shuffled nervously, “It’s fine, honest. I don’t mind.” 

She smiled and conceded, “Well I won’t decline an offer of help. I do carry a lot of crap though so how about you take those two and I’ll take the rest?” She handed him one of the large duffle bags and slid the other towards him with her foot as she shouldered the holdall. “Hey, the faster we get in, the faster you can tell me how awesome this place is.” She smiled widely, trying to cover up her own uneasiness. 

Stiles looked at her and looked horrified, “Awesome? Here?... I think you better make a complaint with your travel agent because this place is about as much fun as…” 

“STILES!” His dad cut him off mid speech, “Let’s at least let your cousin in the door before you make her regret her stay.” His tone implied that he was joking but the look he gave Stiles implied otherwise. 

Stiles smiled weakly at Faith before he turned back silently and started to carry the bags towards the house with Faith following. 

Her uncle walked past, patting her on the shoulder gently, “Don’t mind him, he grows on you.”


	3. C is for Challenge

** Chapter 3: C is for Challenge **

_In touch with the ground,_  
Out on the hunt down after you,  
Smell like I sound,  
I’m lost in a crowd and I’m hungry like the wolf,  
Straddle the line in…

Faith opened her eyes slowly and rubbed them with her hands. She could swear she had heard music but the room was silent. She snuggled down in to the covers and found what may have been the comfiest spot she had ever experienced. It was short lived however as the music once again filled the air. She sighed and climbed out of bed 

_In touch with the ground,_  
Out on the hunt down after you,  
Smell like I sound,  
I’m lost in a crowd and I’m hungry like the wolf,  
Straddle… 

She followed the noise to a cell phone on Stiles’ desk but it had stopped ringing already. She picked it up and turned it on to ‘silent’ mode; taking it with her as she returned to the bedroom. She sat it on her desk and climbed back under the sheets; this time to sleep - something she had dreamt about for sooo long… the irony. 

She was just drifting back in to sleep when the sound of vibration filled the room. She turned to see Stiles’ phone vibrating around the desk on its own accord. She sat up again and simply muttered, “Stiles.”

She hopped out of bed and walked over to the phone. She turned it over and let her eyes adjust to the blaringly bright screen; it had two missed messages and the voicemail icon was flashing. She’d been here for over week now and Stiles had managed to leave his phone at home three times; every time he left it, it was always just out of reach but not out of earshot. Also, he had some of the most irritating ringtones known to man… they would worm their way in to your head and ‘force’ you to sing them over and over and over again throughout the day. 

She sighed and looked out the window, “I guess today is as good as any to get a feel for this place.”

***

Faith got up and got dressed fairly haphazardly. She grabbed her keys, Stiles’ phone and a bottle of water before pulling on her leather jacket and walking outside.

She jumped in to her car and set off, following the signs leading to the high school. As she drove past the nice houses, green lawns and friendly neighbours, she thought it all looked a bit ‘at odds’ with itself. She couldn’t feel anything even close to vamp related but ‘something’ was out of place; just under the surface. Luckily, Beacon Hills wasn’t on a Hellmouth; she had checked… twice!

Faith arrived at the school and found kids all around the stairs, walkways and entrances; clearly on a break. She scanned the area looking for Stiles but couldn’t see him; she did however spot his jeep. She walked towards it and out the corner of her eye she saw a sexy black Camaro speed past and around the corner. She could hear it coming to a sharp stop just out of sight. The sound of the car door slamming shut gave her just cause to have a look.

As she rounded the corner she saw a man in a black leather jacket push Stiles in to the brick wall behind him, holding him in place with one hand and talking to him nose to nose.  
The instinct to protect kicked in and Faith dashed towards them. With one hand she grabbed the man’s shoulder and spun him around to face her; without so much as a pause she grabbed him by the lapels of his leather jacket and slammed him in to the wall. He landed hard mere inches from Stiles who had his eyes closed.

Faith looked into the man’s eyes and could see raw anger, but more than that she saw surprise. She leaned forward so that their faces were close; that was when she saw it… the flash of blue waving across his iris before disappearing again. She could feel him pushing against her, his body straining against her grip. She smirked and responded by pushing even harder. He looked at her dead on and a low growl left his lips, just below what the human ears would pick up. She already knew that he was a werewolf, his body had already betrayed his secret; what surprised her was the power he had. She gave him a small grin, challenging him to keep trying.

She glanced over at Stiles, who still had his eyes closed and his face locked tight, as if waiting to be hit. She wondered why her cousin would be hanging out with a werewolf. He definitely hadn’t given any indication at home that he had any experience of the supernatural or occult… perhaps he didn’t know.

She felt the guy push back against her again, this time using his legs as leverage against the wall in order to ‘push’ himself off. He got about two inches forward and she pushed him back again, this time pushing him back so hard that he broke the surface of some of the bricks behind him; orange flakes and small pieces of debris fell to the ground behind him… and there it was - fear. 

It was as though she could see the wolf inside him, pacing back and forth, attempting to claw its way out… but he had it under control, even now. She respected him for that; she appreciated the force of will it must have taken. Regardless, she was under no illusions about letting him go just yet though.

“Stiles, you ok?” She asked, glancing at her cousin.

“Huh?” Stiles replied in confusion as he opened one eye tentatively before blinking them both wide. “F…Faith?” he stuttered in surprise. 

Stiles finally looked at Derek and saw that Faith had him pinned to the wall. Panic swept across Stiles’ face and he almost screamed for her to let him go. Even if he didn’t know what Derek was, he knew he was dangerous.

“I said, are you ok? Is this guy bothering you?” For emphasis, Faith pushed ever so slightly into Derek’s chest, receiving another low growl. For now he had stopped fighting her and was watching Stiles; realising Stiles knew her. She knew the deep breaths he was taking had nothing to do with being winded. She wondered if he made her connection to Stiles yet through their scents. 

“No… Derek here was just looking for Scott,” he said, looking at Derek as if he was coaching him on what to tell Faith. 

“Yeah, well it looked to me like he was trying to put you through the wall.” She pushed against Derek again, this time so hard Derek let out a small gasp.

“That’s just Derek. Manners aren’t his speciality,” Stiles stammered.

She looked back at Derek. “Aren’t you a little old to be a student?”

She felt Stiles start to pull her off of Derek; not missing the intake of breath Derek gave as he pushed off the wall. “Yeah, we don’t talk about that… ever,” Stiles answered first, “It’s kind of a touchy subject with him. Everything is fine. Why are you here?” He asked, looking to Faith. 

Pulling back, she took a step back from this ‘Derek’. Straightening herself, she pulled the cell from her back pocket and threw it lightly at Stiles, “You left it at home again.”

“Thanks,” he said, pushing it in to his jeans pocket.

“Boys, play nice. Ok?” she looked at Derek when she said this but turned back to Stiles, “Are you sure you’re ok?”

He nodded, “Yeah, it’s cool. He’s like a big puppy once you get to know him.” Once again his face drained of colour and he looked back at Derek as if he had given away this huge secret. Faith realised that Stiles knew exactly what Derek was; surprising though he appeared to be the one in control of the situation. 

She decided that she’d speak to him later to work out what was going on. She didn’t see any need to shoot the guy full of wolfsbane just yet, hell, one of her own friends was a werewolf… and almost all of her other friends also had a bad time once a month; the moon just wasn’t a factor for them.

Faith turned back and walked towards her car, knowing without a doubt that she had Derek’s undivided attention. Pausing briefly at his Camaro, she looked back to see Stiles and Derek watching her intently. With a grin she slowly slid her index finger along the chassis before walking around the corner, back out of sight. If pinning him against the wall wasn’t a challenge, then touching his car – what was _his_ – definitely was. Then again, he shouldn’t have laid a hand on Stiles; whilst he wasn’t hers, he _was_ family – same difference really.

She jumped back in to her car and drove off. She decided that patrolling this area might be more necessary than she had first thought. _'Was it bad that it made her feel more comfortable?’_ she thought to herself before deciding she’d also need to look in to this ‘Derek’.


	4. D is for Derek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thankies to my girl, Noturbaby for the beta.

** Chapter 4: D is for Derek **

Faith had been thinking about investigating Derek Hale since their encounter at the high school. She had learned that Derek was twenty-two, single and a werewolf – obviously. The thing that had caught her attention was that he had been a resident of Beacon Hills before a fire ravaged his home six years ago. He, his sister Laura and his uncle Peter were the only survivors. Peter was catatonic following the fire and was a resident in a local nursing home. Derek and Laura had moved to New York until about a month ago.

There wasn’t much information about the fire itself. It had been deemed an accident at the time and the case was closed. There was next to no information about the years that followed other than Derek and Laura’s destination.

She thought about what happened at the school and memories flitted across her mind; specifically Stiles’ reaction. He hadn’t come to her yet about what had happened but she figured he would soon enough. One thing that was abundantly clear was how intelligent her cousin was; that intelligence could be somewhat misguided at times but she _knew_ that he wouldn’t ignore this.

The thing was she couldn’t decide if she was ready to tell him who she _really_ was? … _What_ she really was. She wasn’t really sure that she wanted to have the _‘Hey, you know how werewolves are real? Yeah, well, that’s not even the tip of the iceberg’_ speech.  She had seen how he had reacted at the school and she wasn’t afraid that he would take it badly; it was the possibility that he’d take it well that scared her... _How much did he already know?_

It hadn’t taken much effort to get the low down on the events of the previous few weeks from her Uncle. Derek Hale’s sister, Laura, had been dug up on his property, tipped off by none other than her cousin and his reluctant apprentice in crime, Scott. A bus driver had been found in a destroyed school bus on the high school grounds and had been practically eviscerated. Faith had to laugh at the fact that people thought it was an animal attack – different town, same ignorance.

She truly hadn’t planned on getting involved with a murder investigation when she had come here; she just wanted to take a break from all that she was, all that she had been. However, she knew that she couldn’t just ignore the spate of _‘animal’_ attacks when there was clearly a werewolf running rampant. Seeing as her cousin was spending time with him, and had potentially pissed him off; she figured that in some way, this was all Stiles’ fault.

Faith pondered what she would do next and decided that she would use her new abundance of free time to find out more. She pulled on her leather jacket and opened the front door; setting off on foot with the intent to find Derek and _persuade_ him to fill in the gaps.  She knew he wasn’t the one responsible for everything going on; he may come across as creepy and is an alumni of the Angel school of brood but he wasn’t a murderer.

A few hours had passed and she hadn’t so much as picked up a trail, but there it was, shoe prints pushed in to the moist soil; each one coupled with claw marks in the soil in front. The tracks led west and the prints were deepest in the toes... not only were these tracks from something running, they were from something running on all fours.

She sprinted along the route of the prints, tracking it through the woods to a containment yard at an industrial estate. She paused suddenly and looked at the tracks, her eyes widened as she realised that there was a second set of tracks running alongside them. The print was just as clear but the distance between front and back ‘paws’ was smaller and not as deep. She crouched down and traced the print with her finger; the second wolf was smaller than the other and not as strong… yet.

This realisation concerned her. If Derek was part of a bigger pack, then she would have to take an entirely different approach. One werewolf could be tolerated _if_ they had not yet spilled blood… a whole pack of werewolves however was a different scenario, and one that left very few options outside of extermination.She slowed her pace and crept round the corner. In the distance she could see a woman standing outside her car. Her instinct to protect kicked in again and she started forwards, coming to a sudden stop just as quickly; something was wrong.

She watched as the woman pulled out a rifle and trained her sights above the industrial containers dotted around the yard. Faith followed her gaze and saw the blur of motion, both wolves leapt the gap and a single shot rang out across the yard. Faith moved into cover but it became clear that the woman was oblivious to her presence. Faith moved silently towards the woman to get a better view of who she was and what was going on; not many women carried a rifle around with them. Her mind flicked back to some of the people she knew and some of the weaponry they carried… hell, Buffy had a rocket launcher. Regardless, she didn’t know this woman and wasn’t about to afford her any pleasantries.

As she drew closer, Faith saw another car pull up and a man stepped out, he looked frustrated with her but kept his distance… she could tell he didn’t trust this woman. They exchanged only a few sentences before getting back in to their cars and pulling away.

Faith waited until they were out of sight and ran towards the area she had seen the wolves. She was close now and she could smell blood. She stayed focused, covering her corners and keeping her guard up. As she rounded the edge of the container she saw a puddle of blood with a trail moving towards a nearby wire mesh fence before trailing off. There was no body but she knew that the blood was Derek’s due to the shoe prints left in his blood.

Faith had spent all night and most of the day visiting each of Derek’s known haunts from her research but so far had only found his Camaro near an abandoned warehouse. She returned to her uncle’s house and glanced at the clock, 3:21pm. She decided that the only lead left was to ask Stiles what he knew and if he knew where else Derek might go. She ran back outside and jumped in to her car, setting off quickly for the school.

As she arrived at the school she heard horns blaring loudly. It wasn’t long before she identified the reason for the commotion; Derek was sprawled out in the road in front of Stiles’ jeep.

Stiles and Scott were desperately trying to get him up; struggling whilst bickering at each other. She swerved the car and jumped out, running over to help. She ignored the shocked looks from Scott and Stiles as she gripped Derek around the chest from behind and hoisted him in to the jeep. Scott ran round to the side of the jeep to speak to Derek. He was _trying_ to be discreet but Faith could hear every word.

“I need you to find out what kind of bullet they used.” Derek rasped. His breathing was laboured and each word he uttered was short and sharp; each one tinged with pain. “And Scott, she’s an Argent… she’s with them.”

Faith looked back to Stiles, “Take him to the south side of the Preserve, near the picnic tables.” She glanced back at Derek before returning her gaze to Stiles, “I’ll meet you there… and you _will_ tell me what’s going on!”

Stiles looked at her open mouthed but didn’t so much as utter a sound.

She shook him, “Do you understand?”

Stiles nodded and turned the key in the ignition, taking off towards the parking lot exit and rounding the corner.

“Be careful and keep your phone on,” she instructed to Scott as she watched the jeep disappear.

Scott looked pale, he nodded at her as she got back in to the car and drove off after Stiles.

***

Faith sped towards the Preserve and parked a few hundred yards back. She looked around to ensure that she wasn’t being followed before setting off on foot, running as quickly as she was able.

As she arrived in the picnic area there was a fine mist forming overhead. There was no one else around but she could see Stiles perched on a bench near the back of the picnic area. Derek was on the ground, resting with his back against one of the supports for the bench.

Faith ran to them and as she approached, Derek let out an audible ‘huff’ before looking away from her. He looked terrible; his skin was gaunt and a sickly shade of green. Faith looked to Stiles who squirmed uncomfortably whilst fiddling around with his cell phone, looking like he’d rather be anywhere but there.

Faith ignored him for now and knelt next to Derek, “So, do you make a habit out of getting shot?”

Derek looked at her angrily before grunting an inaudible response and turning away again.

“Where’s your first aid kit?” Faith shouted to Stiles.

“It’s in the glove box,” he replied meekly. He waited for a moment but was greeted only with silence and a steely stare. “Oh, you want me to… never mind, I’m on it,” he hopped from the bench and ran to the jeep. He rushed back, handing the first aid box to faith.

Faith looked from Derek to Stiles and back again, neither made any effort to hold eye contact. “Do I need to guess or are you just gonna spill it?” The resulting silence infuriated her, “Spill it right now or so help me I’m going to…”

Stiles jumped up and hushed her, waving his hands in a calming motion in an attempt to quiet her, even though there was no one around. He let out a large sigh, “Ok, ok” He conceded, “Derek and Scott are werewolves. Derek got shot and only has forty-eight hours to live. Allison Argent’s family are werewolf hunters and there’s an Alpha werewolf running around killing people!” Stiles began to trail off as he ran out of steam. He watched Faith, trying to judge whether or not she was about to hit him for lying or believe him and full on freak out.

Faith took a breath and looked at him calmly, “A hospital is definitely out of the question then.”

Derek turned to face her this time, his face locked in shock. Stiles was doing a good job at emulating the same expression. Stiles couldn’t comprehend how she had been able to accept this so calmly… unless she was being sarcastic.

Derek didn’t look away this time, making it clear that he was trying to work her out. His head suddenly lulled and his gaze fell to the ground. He grumbled as nausea took hold. He fell to the side, landing on his back in the hard dirt.

Faith looked at Stiles and told him to call Scott; making it clear that speed was the priority here. She watched Stiles fumble with his cell before pulling it quickly to his ear.

She turned back to Derek, “Ok, I’m gonna need to check that wound if I’m going to have any chance at helping.”

Derek was sweating heavily but didn’t argue with her; instead he pulled at his shirt feebly. She stepped in and tore his sleeve to the shoulder, exposing the wound. It was unlike any bullet wound she had seen before; it had a crusty purple scab building up around the wound and his veins were a vibrant purple and black, visible clearly through the upper layer of skin. She glanced back at him and saw a flash of his feral side as she touched the wound.

“I’ve had bigger and badder things look at me like that… it didn’t work for them either.” She pushed on the wound again but no blood came out; it was as if the bullet had cauterised the wound. As she pressed down he hissed loudly and flashed blue eyes at her, rage burning within them.

She took no real notice but smiled nonetheless, “Oh, I bet you get all the girls with those big ol’ blues.”

Faith looked back at Stiles who was stepping from foot to foot. She was pissed at Scott for dumping all this on him, she was even angrier though that it looked like Scott was giving him grief on the phone. Faith shouted over at him, “Tell him to move his ass… it is **not** a request!”

She watched as he stood straight and started passing on the message, not missing out the detail that it was Faith who had said it. She sighed and looked back to Derek who was watching her intently. He was silent but that didn’t mean he was being ignorant, in fact he was using the time to size her up. The way she moved, her attitude in the face of her cousin’s panicked admission and the way that she probed at his wounds; her eyes were focused and hinted at a wealth of knowledge. He hissed again as she leant in and began to bandage up the wound. He knew it was futile and took a breath before telling her but she beat him to it.

“This isn’t going to do anything but cover the wound until we can get you somewhere where we can better _tend_ to it” She said.

Derek knew what she meant, he had even considered it himself; emergency amputation.

She leant in close and whispered “The bandages will also stop you getting any of your mess on Stiles’ jeep. I can already see him having a conniption fit if you get anything on his seats.” She glimpsed back at him, “He treats that thing like a princess.”

Derek remained silent as she finished wrapping the wound. She patted him on his leg and stood up, letting him know that she was done for now. She turned and headed over to Stiles.

“What’s the low down on Scott?” she asked.

Stiles shook his head, “He's being watched, but he’s still trying to get his hands on one of the bullets they used. It is just going to take him some time.” He sighed and sat down on a bench.

Faith looked around at the empty park before looking back to him, “You’re gonna have to stay here for a while. I’ve noticed from my morning runs that no one really comes up here. It’s also far enough away from the Hale house that you should be safe.” She watched him for a response but he didn’t offer any, “In case you missed that, you **have** to stay here. I figure the place is crawling with hunters about now,” She pointed to Derek, “waiting for _him_ to come back.”

Stiles looked lost, “You’re taking all this rather well… like, _really_ well!”

“Why wouldn’t I? Maybe I should have just assumed that you have overdosed on your Adderall again?”

Stiles stood up, “To be honest? Yes!” he yelled, “I wasn’t expecting you to believe me at all! And I only overdosed once… maybe twice… since you’ve been here… but that’s irrelevant.”

Faith looked unconvinced. She put her arm on his shoulder and pulled him in closer. In a quiet and calm voice she reassured him as best she could, “Stiles, you’re family” she paused, “and what would lying really achieve right now?”

She left Stiles standing open mouthed and dumb struck.

Faith returned to Derek and knelt down again. “We need to move you to the jeep. I don’t want either of you going anywhere but if shit hits the fan, I’d rather you were in a position to get out of here.”

Stiles came over, looking worried, “And what about you?”

“I can take care of myself. If anyone asks I’m just on a walk. I’ll tell them I got lost or something… I’ll make it up as I go along.” She helped Derek into jeep before heading off on foot in the direction of the Hale house. She started to run but turned back for a second to shout to Derek, “He’s not your personal chew toy, understand?” She looked back to Stiles, “And don’t do anything to piss him off!” 

Stiles looked shocked for the umpteenth time that day, “Me? He’s the one that makes it seem like breathing the same air as him is some great travesty.”

Derek growled loudly at him making him jump. He looked back to Faith and pointed to Derek in condemnation, “See what I mean!” Stiles shouted, sounding exasperated.

Faith shook her head and set off again, disappearing in to the woods at the perimeter of the park.

***

The sun was starting to dip in the sky when she arrived at the burnt out house. As she drew close she could hear voices. It wasn’t long before she saw the source; three guys were standing around just outside the entrance to the house. She sized them up and could tell immediately that they were not the ones calling the shots. She knew lackeys when she saw them.

She scanned the area for the target of her hunt; the female who had shot Derek. Her knowledge at this time only shed enough light on the situation to clarify that she was an Argent and a werewolf hunter. The fact that she had survived to this age implied that maybe she wasn’t an amateur either.

She watched intently but there was no motion from inside the house and the guys outside weren’t giving away anything but the scores for some irrelevant sports match. Her phone vibrated in her pocket prompting her to pull it free. It was a text that simply said _‘meet us at the local vet’_.

She laughed at the thought of taking a werewolf to a vet for a bullet wound. She turned and set off trying to remember the directions to the local veterinary practice.

***

She arrived at the vets in time to see Scott running in the back door, she quickly followed him in. The scene that greeted her took a second to compute. Derek was lying against the table with a makeshift tourniquet around his upper arm and a bone saw was lying on the table next to him. On top of that, her cousin was a shade of white that would put Casper to shame. She made it a point to ignore the black viscous fluid on the floor; she figures knowing would be far worse than guessing.

“Wow.” She looks to the saw on the table. “Looks like I came at just the right time.”

At that, Derek passed out, dropping the bullet Scott had just handed over. Scott went after the bullet as it rolled away.

Stiles knelt above Derek, slapping him a few times and then punched him in an attempt to rouse him but failed, instead sprawling back and clasping his hand in pain, letting out a yelp. He looked panicked and raised his fist as if to strike him again. Faith grabbed his fist before he could hit Derek again, pulled him up and told him to help Scott.

Faith looked at Derek and for a split second, she didn’t want to hit that face. Still, ‘ _needs must’_ she thought. She hit him square in the jaw hard enough to wake the dead; sure enough his eyes opened and spun in their sockets before focusing on her. He pulled himself up but she could tell that he was running on fumes. He snapped open the bullet that Scott had placed next to him on the table. He began to empty the contents onto the examination table but lost his grip. Faith caught it before it had even dropped a few inches causing Stiles and Scott to stare at her. She didn’t take any notice and instead looked at Derek. He tried to speak but fell to the floor in a heap.

“Light the powder and then bring it here.” He demanded.

Faith fished her zippo lighter from her back pocket and set the powder alight. The powder sizzled only for a moment before erupting in a blue flame that sent wisps of blue smoke up into the air. The powder stopped burning just as quickly as it had begun. Faith dragged her hand across the table, funnelling it into her outstretched palm. She dropped down and gingerly straddled Derek’s torso, holding the warm powder tightly in her right hand.

Derek looked up at her, his face betraying his fear, “Put it in the wound… you’ll need to push it in deep.” He snapped.

Faith opened her palm so that she was able to scoop the powder towards her index and middle finger. The aroma from the still warm powder drifted towards her; the smell prompted the stark realisation of what it was she held in her palm - Wolfsbane. “Jesus, this is… you know this is gonna hurt like a bitch, right?”

She didn’t wait for an answer and pushed the powder into the bullet hole, pressing down past the knuckle. Derek screamed but she knew that it wasn’t enough; using her full weight she pushed down until her finger was almost completely inserted. Using her left hand she restrained him, pushing down on his rib cage hard enough that it would have broken his ribs, had he not been a werewolf. She felt his raw power quake through his limbs as his muscles began to spasm; contorting and rippling as each wave of pain washed over him. Even though it was clear that he was in a weakened state and was wracked with agony, he was putting up a good fight. Faith was worried about how much will power he would have to channel right now, just to refrain from shifting; the fact he was still in human form spoke volumes about the control he had over his beast.

Suddenly he whipped his head back and arched his body, causing Faith to reel backwards before quickly regaining her composure. He began to flail wildly, screaming out in agony. She grabbed his head and forcefully turned him to face her. His eyes were now solid blue, letting her know that his wolf was now just mere centimetres below the surface; clawing to get out and driven by his primal instinct to survive; to heal.

Faith leant in close to his face and whispered, “Look at me. Its ok… you are going to be ok. Just breathe.”

Scott and Stiles watched silently as Derek began to calm and his arm begin to heal; the purple and black veins disappearing as the bullet hole closed over. Faith watched as his natural eye colour returned and he fell silent. He closed his eyes and fell limp, more in relief than anything else.

“That. Was. Awesome!” Stiles exclaimed loudly, breaking the somewhat awkward tension in the room.

Faith climbed off of Derek as Scott walked up to them. He looked down at Derek who was slowly opening his eyes again. “Are you… ok?"

Derek winced as he pulled himself up in to a sitting position, “Except for the agonizing pain you mean?”

Stiles shrugged, “Well, at least we know he still has his sarcasm,” he was greeted with silence, “What? That has to count for something right?”

Faith chuckled and shook her head. 

Scott stood up straight, visibly bracing himself. He glared at Derek, “We saved your life.” He let that statement hang in the air for a moment before proceeding, “You are going to leave us alone!... You got that?”

Derek didn’t reply this time. Scott began to look flustered by Derek’s silence and appeared to be waning under Derek’s steely gaze. “If you don’t… I’m gonna go to Allison’s dad and tell him everything!” Scott had done his best to look stern but he was clearly letting his doubts take centre stage in his mind.

“You’re _still_ gonna trust them? You really think they’ll help you?” Derek barked, baring his teeth.

Scott’s face contorted in to a mix of anger, confusion and arrogance, something it seemed that only teenagers could master. “Why not? They’re a lot freakin’ nicer than you are,” He screamed.

Derek screamed back at him, “Don’t you remember that ‘nice guy’ shooting you with a crossbow?”

Faith intervened, pushing Scott back, “Derek’s right.” She reasoned, “You aren’t safe with the Argents!”

“What do you know?” Scott snapped.

 _‘More than you think’_ she thought _._ She moved forwards so that she was standing toe to toe with him. “Correct me if I’m wrong here, but they are hunters who hunt werewolves and you are _what_ exactly? You ain’t a frickin’ Care bear!”

“Yeah,” she teased out the word for effect, “I can see them now, welcoming you with open arms.” Faith shook her head, “Let’s not be under any illusion here. Once they know what you are, their priority will be your extermination!” She paced away before turning back, a mask of aggression painted on her face, “Do you _really_ think he’s gonna just let a wolf date his daughter?… hell, even if you _were_ just another teen, dating the daughter is already reason for murder."

Scott stepped back so that she was not as close anymore, “They could still help though! If they just knew the full story I’m sure they’d understand.”

Before Faith could respond, Derek interrupted with a snarl, “I can show you _exactly_ how far their understanding stretches!”

***

They all walked out of the vets in to the cold air, prompting Derek to take a loud breath. As he climbed in to the car with Scott he nodded to Faith in a silent thank you.

As they pulled away Faith turned back to Stiles who gulped loudly. He couldn’t decide what kind of punishment would be better here… his choice was none if he was honest but he didn’t feel confident placing his money on that bet just yet.

Faith looked over the hood of his jeep and he grimaced, waiting for his punishment to be unveiled.

“Are you hungry?” she asked nonchalantly, “I’m starved!”

He nodded at her but his mouth was wide open. Faith hadn’t decided yet if she liked this silent Stiles better than the one that had to remind himself to breath between sentences. The jury was definitely out on that one.

Stiles knew that there was something out of place with his cousin but he was not in the right frame of mind to piece it together. Yet.


	5. E is for Encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And as always, a THANK YOU to Noturbaby for the Beta.

** Chapter 5: E is for Encounter **

Two days had passed since the bullet incident and Faith hadn’t seen Derek again. If she was honest, she hadn’t really made any effort to find him, instead spending her time researching the Argents, their history and their methods.

Using Wolfsbane tipped bullets was a given, but she had found reports of mutilated corpses and animal attacks from each of the places they had resided. One thing that re-occurred in more than one of the cases was that the body was split in half horizontally across the abdomen.

Whilst she had been able to uncover a wealth of information from various sources, only a few stood out as being significant. One such snippet had explained that the name ‘Argent’ in French meant Silver; further checks confirmed that their lineage did in fact have roots in France. Chris Argent had a job as an arms supplier for Law Enforcement, meaning that he would have continual and legal access to a potentially limitless arsenal.

Kate Argent’s previous years were much sketchier. She had been a resident in and around Beacon Hills around a decade ago but had suddenly disappeared… until two days ago at least. 

Stiles hadn’t approached Faith since that night either but she didn’t blame him. Still, if he wasn’t ready to ask his questions, she wasn’t in a position to give him the answers.

She knew that even though he hadn’t asked yet, he had by no means dropped the subject. She had caught him watching her over the last two days and knew that the cogs in his head were spinning… he was trying to figure her out. 

Faith didn’t want to lie to Stiles but she also knew that telling him the truth could be just as bad for her. Then again, the kid was like a human lie detector; he couldn’t lie for shit personally but had an eerily accurate bullshit detector of his own. 

She had moved her weapons out of the house the same night that everything had kicked off. They were now safely tucked up in the trunk of her car, away from prying eyes. She didn’t want to think about what would happen if Stiles got his hands on her crossbow – or worse, her knives… most of the time he barely had control of his own limbs, let alone a deadly weapon.

She’d also caught him muttering to himself yesterday morning, hunched over a crumpled piece of paper. He’d been mulling over it a while and had developed an ink stain on the side of his mouth where he had been chewing his pen. When she entered the kitchen he quickly put the paper in his pocket and tried to pretend everything was fine. Faith didn’t call him out, instead, continuing to make her breakfast. She would have told him about the ink but he’d darted out the door so fast that she never got a chance.

She still wanted to avoid getting out the ‘Slayer in Town’ banners just yet if she could avoid it. Unfortunately, she knew that in Stiles’ case it was only a matter of time.

***

The dried twigs and branches snapped loudly as Faith darted through the woods. Since moving here, she had been in possession of a crap ton of extra free time and a burning store of pent up energy without an immediate vent. She actually found herself wishing for a vampire, or maybe even a rogue demon, just so that she could beat it in to a mushy pile of muscle and sinew; for no other reason than to exhaust her excess energy. 

The music from her iPod blared in her ears as she darted, leapt and dipped through the dense woods. Her feet were moving instinctually; moving in a blur without so much as tripping or stumbling on the loose terrain. She breathed in deeply and as the cold morning air filled her lungs she felt at peace. Given the situation over the last few days, she was thankful for these moments where she could just ‘be’; letting her body control her movements and freeing up her mind.

This morning wasn’t destined to be one of those leisurely runs.

Faith halted instantly and stood so still that she could have passed for a statue. She let her senses scout the area around her. She _knew_ someone was there… and she _knew_ they were watching her. She had been aware of them as soon as she began her run but had purposefully ignored their presence to see what they would do next. 

As she stood there in the clearing she could hear low breathing. She held her own breath but could still hear the breathing of another. She watched as Derek emerged from the trees in front of her and broke in to a run towards her. She grinned and ran away from him, back towards the tree line. He dropped to all fours and pursued her, quickly catching up so that he was only a meter or so away. As she approached a thick birch she planted her foot on the trunk and flipped backwards, right over Derek’s head. He managed to stop himself from full on body slamming the tree but stumbled forwards before quickly turning back to her; she was standing with her back to him.

“Nice try,” she quipped sarcastically.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Derek growled at her.

She flipped her hood up over her head and peered back at him over her shoulder, “Grandma’s House,” she grinned. She began to walk away.

She had seen the barest hint of a smile playing on the corner of Derek’s lips… _perhaps he does have a sense of humour after all,_ she thought. 

Derek roared and slammed in to her, forcing her to the ground. She could have easily used his weight to flip him over her head but didn’t feel like she was in any real danger. As she smashed in to the ground she let out a sharp breath; she could feel Derek leaning in close to her neck. As she opened her eyes she heard him inhale deeply. 

Faith smiled, “Um, normally I would be all for this but …” 

Derek jumped away from her, still on all fours. She turned over and sat up to look at him; his eyes were wide and glowing brightly. Faith didn’t know if the look on his face was supposed to be of shock, horror or fear. 

“You smell…” he began. 

“Hey!” She interrupted. She stood and pointed her finger in indignation, “If you had been running for three hours then you wouldn’t smell so hot either! Besides… it’s not that bad. ” Faith pulled her t-shirt up to her nose and sniffed it. She grimaced slightly and looked at him glumly, “Ok, so maybe it is that bad. That doesn’t mean I need you telling me!”

She looked away for a second before muttering, “You should smell Stiles after lacrosse practice – that’s lethal. If you could bottle it, it’d come with a warning label!” She shook her head as if waking from a dream, “Wait, why the hell did you sniff me?”

Derek stood back up, looking confused and exasperated all at once.

Faith waited for him to speak but decided to take the hit herself and break the silence. “You look better,” she said, “not so green or bullet ridden.” 

He still looked pissed off but didn’t look sure about what he expected from this encounter, or even what he wanted from it. Faith decided that life was too short and pushed her earphones back in to her ears. She stretched each leg and gave him one last look,   
“Great conversation as always Hale. I suppose I should go home and shower.” 

She set off at a run and disappeared in to the woods; she was just out of sight when he heard her shout, “Better luck next time!”

Derek looked on sternly but remained in the clearing rather than pursuing her further.

***

Faith had already showered, eaten and watched her fair share of daytime TV; saying she was bored was an understatement. She stood up and grabbed her coat. “Screw this,” she said aloud and walked out the front door.

She set out down the main road, looking for something to do; a shopping mall, a cinema… even a 7/11 would suffice right now. As she turned a corner the familiar flicker of red and blue lights alerted her to police presence. It wasn’t long before she pulled in near the local video store; saying that there was police presence turned out to be a poor estimate... the place was **crawling** with them.

She climbed out of the car in time to see Stiles hanging around a few cop cars away. He hadn’t seen her yet but she could see her uncle from here; he was standing with a tall, good looking teen, who was being less than polite. A few feet from him she could see a red head sitting in an ambulance, looking pretty ill. The available evidence suggested that this was the ‘Jackson and Lydia’ the boys had told her about.

As she drew closer she could hear some of the attitude that Jackson was spewing out at her uncle and wanted nothing more than to punch him out; she was not given the option though as Stiles shouted loudly, “Is that a dead body?”

All eyes turned to the body bag being carried from the video store. Her uncle sighed angrily and looked at Stiles who looked sheepish under his gaze. It was then that he noticed her there; he made eye contact for a moment and then turned away, fidgeting awkwardly. He had a few ideas about what her situation was but didn’t yet have any more than ideas and theories. 

Faith walked over to her uncle who was now controlling the scene, holding people back and turning away those with cameras. When he saw her, he gave her a slight nod, silently telling her that he had seen her, but didn’t have time to talk. She nodded back and walked over to Stiles.

“Hey kiddo,” she said, lightly punching him in the shoulder.

He looked at her but had a horrible look on his face, a look that she didn’t ever want to see again… he didn’t trust her anymore. 

She sighed and gently rested her hand on his shoulder, “Listen, we’ll talk at home? I promise.” With that she nudged him towards his jeep and turned back towards her own car.

***

The video store was too busy with the police and paramedics to do any detective work so she opted to go to the next best place for answers - Derek’s.

One thing had been clear at the video store; it wasn’t an animal attack - not in the traditional sense anyway. She intended to confront Derek and was making her way through the woods to his house. She was just out of sight when she heard voices. Once again there were hunters guarding the entrance but this time there was voices coming from inside. 

She moved silently around the building so that she could see the main room from a small crack in a blacked window. She saw Kate pass in front of the gap and out of sight again, she wasn’t out of earshot though.

She couldn’t hear any commotion inside so stayed quiet, just listening. She heard Kate talking to Derek and could hear Derek’s breathing getting faster. Kate started talking about his sister and Faith could hear the rage in his voice with each answer. The significant thing was that Kate told him that her family didn’t kill his sister… and he believed her.

She kept listening as was able to garner two more things. The first was that Derek didn’t know who the Alpha was. The second was that Kate was a total bitch.

The conversation inside went quiet so Faith moved back to the gap to watch. The room inside flashed blue and Derek’s scream rang out, alongside Kate’s laughing. Faith got up to help but the air was suddenly alive with gunfire. She ducked down out of view and listened as rounds hit the house; splintering wood and sending debris flying away from the walls in shards.

The gunfire stopped and was replaced by frenzied shouting. Only one sentence was important to her, and was the sentence they were all taking turns to shout.

“Where the fuck is he?”

***

Faith pushed open the front door to her uncles and sighed as she hung her leather jacket up on the coat rack. She could see Stiles sitting at the kitchen table, watching her.

She walked in to the kitchen and opened the cupboard, fishing out a big bag of potato chips. She popped it open and hopped on to the counter top. Neither one had spoken yet so when she took the first handful of chips and popped them in to her mouth, the resulting crunch felt deafening.

Faith looked at Stiles who just looked back at her. She swallowed her mouthful of chips and placed her hand back in to the bag. ”What’s up?” she said calmly.

He looked horrified, “Really?! That’s what you’re starting with? ‘What’s up?’!” He took a deep breath and calmed himself. “Ok,” he began softly, “I don’t wanna go all Twilight on you here, but you're fast, and incredibly strong,” he paused as if waiting for a response that never came. He continued, “ _I_ punch Derek and nearly break my hand, _you_ hit him and not only are you fine, but he flinched! You snuck up on him at the school, which is impossible to do with a werewolf by the way, and pinned… **pinned** him to a wall! Not to mention you knew what Wolfsbane was from just the smell alone.”

He looked frustrated, “You’re too calm!” he pointed at her, “You’re too calm now, you were too calm at the vet’s… with the blood and the bullets and the hitting, roaring and biting... What are you?”

“Sorry to disappoint you cuz, but I’m not a vampire … or a werewolf while we’re on the subject.” 

Stiles didn’t look relieved, in fact he looked angry. “Then _what_ are you?” he yelled. “I’ve made a list and nothing fits!” 

He thrust a crumpled piece of paper towards her which she pried open carefully. Faith scanned the piece of paper and realised it was a list… about her, or what Stiles thought she was. 

She scanned at some of the entries and laughed, “You thought I was a superhero? I’m flattered and please, don’t insult me by thinking I’m a hunter.” Perusing more of the list she smiled, “Catwoman? Hmmm, I can see that, what with the leather and all.”

Stiles snatched the list back from her, “You promised me answers!” 

“I promised we’d talk at home,” she replied, “But yeah, I’ll give you some answers.”

She pulled the paper back from him and picked up a pen from the counter top. She scribbled a word on to the page and handed it back to him.

He looked down and read it aloud, “Slayer.” His face lit up, “I KNEW IT!” he shouted, “Wait… that’s… what is that?”

Faith jumped down from the counter and sat next to him at the table. “Here goes nothing.”

She told him about Slayers from the very beginning; their history, their purpose, their victories and losses, their training as Slayers, how they had evolved over time and the army they now had at their disposal. Stiles never once spoke or questioned her, he just listened. 

They spoke well in to the night about her life in Sunnydale, LA and Boston but chose to leave out the darker components of her past. Perhaps one day she would tell him but not now. She felt closer to him and her uncle than she had ever felt with anyone else outside of the old Scooby gang; she didn’t want to jeopardize that.

Faith looked at him and smiled, “So, have at it. Any questions?”

Stiles sat back in the chair, he looked to be lost in thought for a moment. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table; his eyes never left Faith’s. “Just let me get one thing straight… vampires are _real_?”


	6. F is for Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Faith's past is mainly taken from Buffy Wiki and books based on her (which I have read). I just twisted it a little to include the Stilinkis, which was actually quite easy. It also gave me the chance to name Mrs Stilinski - Stella - as it says Faith does have an Aunt Stella.   
> Thank you to Noturbaby again and to all of you who have read and reviewed, and to those who have only just read.

**Chapter 6: F is for Family**

Faith had left Stiles at the kitchen table, lost in his thoughts. She was tired after answering what seemed to be a million and one questions and affirming repeatedly that vampires definitely did not sparkle. At one point she thought Stiles was going to lose his shit when she told him that Buffy had gone up _the_ Dracula. He then proceeded to ask what other monsters they had come across and had his own list to verify or quash each in turn. After discussing the existence of magic and witches Stiles had been disappointed to learn that Hogwarts was still fictional.

She made her way to her room and flopped down on the bed. She’d look for Derek in the morning; looking for him now could inadvertently lead the Argents to him.

Speaking so frankly about her life as a slayer had been liberating but she knew that the information she had withheld would still hold a tight grip on how much she could really relax here. ' _No matter how far I go_ ', she thought.

***

At the age of four, Faith’s abusive father had been imprisoned for murder. She didn’t know this until much later in her life, by which time her memories of him had faded in to obscurity. The years that followed had been a collection of bad memories; ranging from her mother’s numerous and abusive boyfriends, her spotted education and the complete lack of any discipline. The thing that had always rang true though, was just how lonely she had felt.

Years of truanting, minor crimes and petty theft had led to her being taken from her mother and placed in to foster care. In one short year she has gone through three different families; each in turn less qualified to deal with her properly. 

That was when her watcher, Diana, had intervened; taking her away from her old life and beginning her new one. 

Diana had appeared as if from nowhere, claiming to be an aunt on her father's side; supplying all the right paper work and certificates. Faith knew that this was a fabrication but had long since stopped caring… if anything it was just another opportunity to be given food, water and accommodation until she was abandoned again.

This time though, her new guardian was more than capable of taking care of the wayward Faith. 

Diana had made it clear from the beginning that she would be handled with an iron fist; offering the kind of discipline that she’d only ever read about or seen on TV. She was also promised that her commitment to this training would offer her something that she had longed for, purpose.

Diana had full documentation on Faith’s life including family trees, each and every instance she had been in trouble and the information on her father’s arrest. She had gone on to tell her about the Slayers and how they would gain their powers… upon the death of the Slayer before them. Faith was fifteen at the time and had to accept the fact that, in her future, she would have to protect the world from the occult and supernatural… a lot for a teenager to swallow.

After finding out about her slayer status, Faith had made the decision to separate herself from her family completely. Information was passed to her mother that she had moved overseas with her foster family. Her only other family was her aunt, Stella, on her mother’s side, her husband Stan and her younger cousin. She had fond memories of them from family visits and held those memories deep down in a warm corner of her mind. She remembered them as being very kind. Her aunt was the polar opposite of Faith’s mother; she was always so warm and inviting… everyone loved her. 

For this reason she made it clear that they were never to be involved in her life again. Isolating them was the only real protection she could offer them, no matter how much anguish it may have caused.

Faith was sixteen when she heard that her mother had passed away. She grieved silently, refusing to let her emotions bubble to the surface. Her aunt and uncle had begun searching for her but Faith’s efforts to keep them away had been successful in quashing any attempts they had made. They had been left with the same story given to her mother; she was overseas and living happily. 

She was seventeen when their requests to find her dwindled away around this time and she was resigned to being that distant family member you know about but never see.

***

Faith had found out about her aunt's illness while she had been in prison. Angel had arranged legal representation for her and the lawyer had brought a comprehensive file on her and her ‘past’.

She saw glimpses of information as he flicked through the pages; one that caught her off guard was the details of her Aunt Stella’s illness. She remembered the urge to call her uncle; the urge to call and see how her aunt was. 

The urge was promptly quelled by the information that followed… her aunt had passed away from her illness. The information was sharp in her gut, as if she has swallowed a Brachen demon whole. She hadn’t so much as shown a glimmer of her true feelings on the matter but she mourned silently. 

Over the weeks that followed, she had decided that staying away from them was still the correct thing to do. Whilst she knew that she could not have done anything to prevent her aunt’s death, it saddened her that she didn't go to the funeral. 

She hadn't thought about her family again until after Buffy had decided that she wanted to have a life and had set up home in Rome. Faith had travelled back and forth from Cleveland, Scotland and London but had never settled and set up a home base. After a night out with Dawn, and a bottle of tequila, she had spilled her guts about her family; prompting the journey that had ultimately lead to her arrival here in Beacon hills.

Her recent return to Beacon Hills had still been a stark reminder of how much she had sacrificed in her years of ‘duty’. Her uncle, a man that had been out of her life for years, and her cousin had accepted her in to their home and had treated her like family from the word go… Well, they _were_ family but they had made her _feel_ like family; something she treasured.

Her years she had been trained to withhold her emotions, letting anger fuel her actions. For the first time, she had emotions that she wanted to celebrate; not hide. The problem was that she didn’t know how. She had seen the small smile her uncle had when he saw her and Stiles together and she hoped that he knew how important they were to her… she also hoped that she was just as important to them. 

***

Now that Stiles knew everything, he’d been free to fill her in on everything that had been going on. He told her about the Alpha, about the Argents, Kate, Derek’s lineage and how he was born a wolf rather than being bitten like Scott… he also told her all about Lydia; nothing supernatural there unless ‘soul mate’ syndrome and delusional behaviour counted.

The way he spoke about her made it clear that this wasn’t just a crush; he would happily go to any length to keep her safe. He had even visited her following the video store attack when no one else had. He told Faith about the drugged state she had been in and told her about a photo that Lydia had on her phone… a picture of the Alpha in wolf form.

Faith had asked him to show her it but he told her that he had deleted it from the phone. She wasn’t angry with him; in fact she could see he had the right motives when he made the decision. The picture wouldn’t really have offered them any more than they already knew so it wasn’t a significant loss. 

It was then that she noticed it, something that had been hinted at already but never as clearly as this; Stiles was fiercely loyal to his friends and whilst afraid, he would face his fears head on every time if it meant he could protect those important to him… he was incredibly brave, even if he didn’t realise it.

Faith asked him to keep the information about the photo to himself. She didn’t think that the others would be as understanding as her about him deleting it. When Stiles asked if she would tell Derek about who she was, she said that she would update Derek when _he_ was ready. 

Stiles laughed and picked up his phone, quickly speed dialling Scott and pressing it to his ear. Faith could hear the automated answering service starting but Stiles hung up quickly, redialled and placed it to his ear again. He did this a few times more before finally leaving a message:

“Dude! I’ve been trying to reach you. Call me when you get this!”

***

The radio in Stiles’ room crackled to life, “We’ve got calls coming in about a 10-91V at the High School. Nearby officers are requested to attend. Control over.” With that it was silent once again.

Stiles looked at her and his face drained of colour, “That’s a vicious animal attack!” He hopped up and pulled on his jacket quickly.

Faith wasn’t really sure why he was as panicked as he was. “It’s five by five,” she reassured him, “we’ll just head down there and see what’s going on.”

“You don’t get it!” he shouted as he pulled his Converse on, “My dad’s there. It’s parent and teacher night. ”

Faith picked up her jacket without another word and followed Stiles out, jumping in to the passenger seat of his jeep just in time to avoid being left behind. 

As they made their way to the school Faith started to feel guilty; she had opted to skip her patrolling duties for today to talk to Stiles and couldn’t help but feel that this could have been avoided. The radio never gave anything more away and both she and Stiles were running through numerous scenarios in their minds about what it was, what had happened and who, if anyone, had it happened to.

As they were about to pull in to the parking lot of the school, Stiles’ phone lit up and vibrated loudly; dancing across the dashboard. With one hand still on the wheel he flipped the phone open and pressed it to his ear.

He was quiet for a moment before looking shocked, “A mountain lion!” he glimpsed at Faith as if she had the answer to a question he hadn’t actually asked.

She continued to listen as Scott told him about what had happened and how Chris Argent had been the one that shot it. Faith couldn’t help but think that the lion had been a decoy; trying to make people think the recent attacks were in fact a just a lion, that was now dead. It would draw people away, leading them back in to a false sense of security. ' _Rest easy and go back to your safe little homes_ ,’ she thought. It was a tactic she’d seen used many times before by many bad people.

***

Stiles was pissed at Scott and had avoided him for a couple of days. He was angry that Scott hadn’t been at the school when he was supposed to be; instead disappearing for the day with Allison. On top of that, he hadn’t answered his phone all day… even when Stiles really needed him. _How many missed calls does it take before you realise that the call is important and PICK UP THE DAMN PHONE!_ he thought angrily.

Faith’s uncle had been quick to point out that this had been the longest they had gone without speaking. He even recalled a time when Stiles had been grounded for cursing at the neighbours in Latin. Apparently, Stiles had thought it had been smart to learn curse words in different languages so he wouldn’t get into trouble - he had just made the mistake of picking the one language her uncle was well versed in. On each of the eleven days he had been grounded, Scott had snuck in to his room. Her uncle had known every time, being in law enforcement definitely helped, but he had let them be. He told her it was for two reasons: first, keeping them apart was too cruel a punishment and second, letting Scott in meant that Stiles wasn’t getting in to trouble somewhere else. 

“Maybe he’s growing up?” he said hesitantly. 

Faith smiled at him doubtfully but didn’t reply. 

“Yeah, I know… votum repute,” he smiled back, “That’s Latin for ‘wishful thinking’”

***

Over the days that followed, Faith had noticed Stiles doing more research into werewolves, the paranormal and occult and now Slayers too. 

She was worried about him but decided to wait until he came to her with any more questions. She didn’t have to wait long though as he approached her that same evening, she just wasn’t expecting what he going to ask. 

“Can someone _learn_ to control their emotions… like anger?” he asked.

She sat down next to him on the couch, “Scott?”

“Yeah,” he replied wearily. 

“Wouldn’t Derek be better for this? I’m not a wolf or anything so the best that I could come up with is sceptical at best.” 

Stiles rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “Uh, that’s not really a good idea for me. One on ones with Derek tends to end up with me in some physical pain or being threatened that he’ll tear out my throat with his teeth.” He saw the look of anger on Faith’s face but continued, “What I meant to say is that Derek isn’t exactly helpful. Sure, he has awesome control but his social skills are lacking somewhat… he’s no Yoda. He also has this thing where he scares me, like, a lot. I’m not really proficient in Derek speak at the best of times so that’s a no go on going to Derek about this.”

“What makes you think I can help?” she asked.

“You deal with having abilities that aren’t exactly natural don’t you? How do you control your emotions? What do you do when you get angry?” 

“Kiddo, you have no idea how loaded a question that is,” Faith looked sullen for a moment, “Well, other than viciously beating vamps in to an ashy pulp… I run. Meditation could help but it’s not really a quick fix.”

Stiles looked dubious, “Isn’t there a saying that you shouldn’t run from your feelings or something?”

Faith shook her head and smiled, “I don’t run from my emotions Stiles. Taking off at a sprint with no destination in mind is liberating. It offers me a freedom that I can’t replicate in other ways. I run to clear my mind so that I can figure out stuff that’s been bothering me and learn to deal with it.”

“That’s what I use the bathroom for… it’s my epiphany throne,” Stiles said, lost in thought for a second.

Faith grimaced, “No, not quite the same thing cuz. Someone once referred to my running as my anchor.” Faith paused to let Stiles take in what she said. “Maybe that’s what you need to do with Scott – find his anchor.” 

Stiles thought this over and it made sense to him; Allison could be Scott’s anchor. Her presence was enough to calm his mind and it had brought him back from the brink more than once. He just needed proof. 

***

Stiles confronted Scott in the school locker room with his findings and, with Faith’s permission, had told him what she was. Scott hadn’t believed him at first but had seen all the same things Stiles had seen and had to admit that this explanation fitted. This acceptance still came after Scott had had a slight freak out about more weirdness coming into life that wasn’t needed. Stiles had taken the opportunity to tell him that it was actually more weirdness coming into _his_ life and that he rather liked having Faith around. 

Stiles told him that he thought Alison was his anchor but Scott pulled away from him.

“I told you what Derek said in the parking garage!” Scott shouted, “Women make you weak!”

Stiles looked horrified, standing open-mouthed. “Women make you… explain Faith? She’s _far_ from weak,” he pointed at Scott, pressing his finger in to his chest, “She’s all Xena Warrior-Kick-Ass and she pinned Derek to a wall, and then the floor and…” he trailed off, lost in thought for a second before looking concerned, “I really think I need to have words with my cousin.” 

Scott pushed his hand away. “But Faith isn’t a wolf!” he scowled. “Look at Derek. He’s alone but he’s strong… he’s in control.”

Stiles nodded limply, “True, but he’s also creepy and currently resides in a burnt out shell of a house, which I might like to add, makes him even more of a creepy creeper – which I didn’t think could actually be possible. I’m not gonna let you end up like Derek… and neither will Faith. We’ll figure something out together.” 

***

Faith and Stiles sat at the dinner table in his kitchen; three pizzas were stacked in front of them. They had been sitting for a while and oddly, the conversation had stayed ‘normal’. If normal being Stiles describing in detail how he purposely provoked Scott by launching lacrosse balls at him, just to see how quickly he could lose it and then calm himself down after, or, how he ended up in detention with Scott then quickly finishing that he had been right all along and Allison was Scott’s anchor. The detention had been worth it apparently as it proved he was right over Derek – Stiles may be afraid of the werewolf but he was never going to waste getting one-upmanship on him. Faith had kept her opinions on the whole ‘women make you weak’ speech to herself and made a mental note to show Derek exactly how weak she could make him; she still had that pent up energy to let loose. 

Her uncle came into the dining room and placed his jacket on the back of a chair; rubbing the back of his neck wearily. He looked at the banquet they had collected and looked back to them, “Can I join you?”

Stiles nodded and pushed a pizza box towards him. He smiled and sat down. He looked at the pile of cheese, meat, tomato and crust that they were each working their way through. He took a deep breath in, smelling the warm meaty aroma on the air. 'Jesus that’s good,’ he thought.

He popped the box open then closed it again. Looking at Stiles he grumbled, “Vegetarian?” 

“What? It’s good for you. It’ll make you grow big and strong.” He replied.

He laughed, “At my age son, you stop growing tall and start growing wide… and I don’t much care about that anymore,” he smiled. ”Now gimme a real piece!”

Stiles reluctantly pushed his box over so that his dad could prise a slice free. Anyone else would have thought that Stiles was being selfish or greedy but Faith could see that he was actually afraid; afraid of losing his dad. If that meant he had to force feed him the healthy stuff then she knew that he would not only stick to it, he’d carry it out with conviction… and she’d help him anyway she could. 

“Uncle Stan, you could get healthy and fit by coming running with me in the morning. All that fresh air… it would be good for you.”   
Faith watched as her uncle paused with the pizza slice at his mouth. “I think a couple of miles would do you wonders and you can burn off all the calories you consume. What do you think?” Faith winked at Stiles slyly. 

“Uh… well, Faith that would…,“ her uncle started. He slowly placed the pizza slice down and back into the box. 

“… Be a great idea!” Stiles finished, catching on to what Faith was doing. He ignored the look of dismay he was receiving from his dad. “With Faith getting you fit then you won’t have me breathing down your neck anymore. You can eat whatever you want.” For emphasis he pushed the pizza box towards his dad. 

Faith watched her uncle contemplate what she and Stiles had said. She could see that he really wouldn’t mind getting Stiles to lay off with the healthy eating but he knew that running with Faith would be an extreme commitment… and not one he was comfortable signing up for at this moment in time.

With a frown, her uncle pushed the pizza box back at Stiles and pulled the box with the vegetable pizza towards him, taking out a slice.

“Thanks for the offer, and I know you could help but I think I’ll stick to the veggies.” He looked down forlornly at his food, “Yummy,” he said unenthusiastically. 

“Your loss,” Faith said, shrugging lightly in her best attempt to look nonchalant. 

With the conversation of her uncle’s eating habits put to rest, Faith gave Stiles a wink as he mouthed a silent thank you to her before tucking back into his pizza. 

***

When Faith’s uncle had first made contact with her she had told him she was a P.E teacher in an all-girls school. It was more of a ‘lax’ version of the truth than an all-out lie. On arriving in Beacon Hills it had afforded her a perfect reason to go out running every morning, evening and night. She knew that her previous duties with the Slayer school were no longer in such immediate demand but hadn’t yet made the decision to actually move away yet… she couldn’t deny that it had crossed her mind a lot since her arrival here.

Her uncle had asked her what her plans were and she had told him that she was taking a break from her teaching career. She had told him how much she had enjoyed being here and to her surprise he was just as forthcoming; telling her he felt the same way. 

He had told her how much it meant to him to have her back in their lives; he also made it clear that he loved the relationship she had established with Stiles. He explained that his work was always going to create times that where he couldn’t be there and he couldn’t begin to say how much it meant that she was there for Stiles… and subsequently to keep him out of trouble. 

Faith knew that her uncle wanted to probe further in to the years he had missed out on but could tell that he was avoiding the subject. She didn’t think for a minute that he had abandoned his curiosity; just that he was waiting for the right time – like father, like son. 

She realised that Stiles had inherited his ‘bull shit detector’ from his dad as they had the same unwavering stare when something was amiss. Faith was content to stay quiet about everything just now; she was happy to finally be part of a real family and didn’t want to jeopardise that. She definitely didn’t want to worry her uncle, especially with things the way they were at the moment.

All that mattered right now was family and she would kill to protect that… literally.


	7. G is for Growl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while since I updated but this has been a long chapter to write, so apologies. There is some dialogue that has been taken from episodes 7 and 8.

**Chapter 7: G is for Growl**

Faith awoke to silence; no alarms, no ringtones and no Stiles. She stretched and hopped out of bed, feeling the soft carpet against her bare feet. She yawned loudly, enjoying the rare moment of solace before making her way for the door.

She made her way downstairs to the kitchen and paused, listening intently; the silence hadn’t lost its novelty yet. She smiled and opened the fridge door; pulling out a carton of milk before grabbing a box of ‘Maple Loops’ from the kitchen counter. Faith hopped up onto her new favourite spot on the kitchen counter; the exact spot where she could look out to the backyard and the woods beyond and preceded to enjoy this rare peaceful morning and took her first mouthful of her breakfast.  She smiled slightly at the feeling like she had woken up in an alternative reality; one where she was normal.

She shook her head to dislodge the thought. As much as it felt nice and even comforting, to picture that life; she knew that she would miss this one too much.

She let her mind wonder as she ate, replaying events of the last few nights in her mind. Her cousin and Scott now knew who and what she was … whether that was a good or bad idea wasn’t yet confirmed, but she was optimistic.

Faith was still worried about what had happened at the Hale house the previous day with the hunters and Kate Argent. She wasn’t stupid to think that Derek and Kate didn’t have history, even if she hadn’t heard part of their conversation, but what kind exactly she knew she had to find out and soon, especially if their normal meetings ended up with Kate torturing Derek and him running from a barrage of bullets.

It wasn’t as though she was worried about Derek, she wasn’t and that was the story she was sticking to, but she had to admit that through the broodiness and grimaces, he wasn’t that bad. The guy was damaged, anyone could see that, and Faith would have been surprised if he wasn’t considering everything he had went through but even if she didn’t want to admit it right then, she felt a pull to the grouchy wolf. After that day in the woods, when he pinned her to the forest floor, she had felt… something, she wasn’t sure exactly what but there had been a feeling.

Faith stopped her train of thought about Derek before hopping off the counter. She finished her breakfast and placed the bowl next to the sink; she’d wash it later and headed upstairs to get dressed. A while later she came down to the living room, freshly showered and changed,  and made herself comfortable on the couch with her laptop. She popped it open and watched as the screen recovered itself to the last web page visited; she didn’t know what ‘World of Warcraft’ was but she knew it had been Stiles. He’d started using her laptop after she revealed it was connected to the Council’s library and now she regularly found it either in the kitchen or Stiles’ bedroom. She toyed with the idea of checking the recent browsing history but finally decided that it wasn’t in her best interests – she just hoped Stiles used it for only research and kept his other ‘activities’ confined to his own laptop. She opened her emails to find one from Dawn and Buffy, asking how she was.

She began to fill them in on what had happened, what was still happening and what was likely to happen; deciding that she couldn’t really keep it secret from them.  She explained that Stiles knew what she was and reaction to that revelation. She went on to tell them about her uncle, about Derek, about Stiles and Scott… and of course gave them an update on the whole werewolf situation.

The laptop beeped as the reply came up on screen. Dawn had replied, stating that she knew Faith could handle herself and had no doubts that this would be any different and to welcome her to Team Jacob. She explained what had happened in her absence but nothing really stood out as being unusual… or interesting; Cleveland had really lost its edge.

At the foot of the email Dawn had written one line that caught in Faith’s throat as she read it,

“We’re missing you back here, but you sound happier than you have in a long time. You sound like you are finally home.”

***

She had closed the laptop screen just in time to hear Stiles’ phone going off in one of the other rooms. She hadn’t realised how late it had gotten as night was already beginning to fall; she had spent almost most of the day talking to Dawn.

“Dammit Stiles,” she yelled, “How can you leave your phone at home so often?”

She knew she’d never get an answer to that question. Stiles was the kind of person that ends up on TV because they had realised they’d left their fake leg on the bus!

She had begun to work out who was calling by the different ringtones he had assigned to each person. She couldn’t help but appreciate that he had given her one too; avoiding any teeny bopping pop noise and choosing well with Florence and the Machine’s, ‘Kiss with a Fist’.

The sound of Duran Duran filled her ears and she knew that it was Scott. She also knew that it probably came with trouble. As she stood up, the front door opened and Stiles darted past her and in to the dining room. She could overhear part of their conversation but was only able to distinguish a few words from Siles – school, flashlight, bolt cutters. Call her paranoid, but the evidence suggested that dumber and dumbest were up to something.

***

Stiles ran out of the dining room and dashed upstairs, passing by Faith without so much as a word. Faith made her way upstairs, just in time to see him flying out his room with his jacket half on and a flashlight in his hand. As he tried to rush past, Faith reached out quickly and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt; yanking him back towards her. He croaked and stumbled backwards; managing to right himself to avoid completely losing his balance. He turned towards Faith who was looking at him intensely, mere inches from his face.

“Faith?... um what’s up?” he stammered in his best attempt to sound cavalier as he attempted to straighten up his haphazard clothing.

“Where’re you going off to in such a hurry?” She asked. Her arms were folded to let him know he wasn’t getting passed her easily. She waited but he didn’t respond. “Has Lydia finally realised you are in fact awesome and has pledged her undying love for you? Begging for you to rush over there as fast as you can so that you can ravish her?”

Stiles looked horrified at Faith’s sarcasm; “Hey!” his voice was indignant. “That will happen one day! I’ve invested a lot of birthday wishes on it!”

“Yeah, well now you’ve told me so it won’t come true!” Faith said, straight faced.

Stiles stood open mouthed for a second, “Too mean… too mean!” he conceded.

“Scott called you… what are you up to?”

“How did you…?”

“Ringtone,” she answered before he could even finish the question. “So kiddo, what do you need bolt cutters for?”

“Since when did Slayers have werewolf hearing?” he grumbled.

“Cute, but don’t try and change the subject!” she demanded.

He sighed deeply, realising that he wasn’t going anywhere until he spilled his guts. “Ok, Ok…Derek and Scott have kidnapped Doctor Deaton as Derek thinks he’s the Alpha. Scott said something about stopping Derek beating the crap out Deaton to prove he’s the Alpha and that he thinks Scott is linked with the alpha, like some weird hive mind Borg type situation. Anyhoo, we are going to the school so Scott can get his howl on. If it works then we can find out if Deaton is the Alpha and Derek can put the wolf powered smack down on him.”

Faith just stood there in silence for a moment as Stiles stood looking at her.

She finally spoke, “Doctor Deaton is the vet, right?” Stiles nodded before she continued. “And you are going to the school so that Scott can… howl?” She shook her head, as Stiles nodded again. “And if, and I mean if, Derek is right and Deaton is the Alpha… What makes you think Derek can even take him out?” Faith questioned.

Stiles was dumbstruck, realising for the first time that they hadn’t even considered that variable. He opened his mouth to reply but closed it just as quickly when nothing came out.

Faith resumed, “It’s already killed a werewolf by ripping her in half! Not to mention the slew of bodies it seems to be leaving all over town! And did you forget about the school bus that it tore apart, or the video store!? “

“Uh…”

Faith sighed. “Grab what you need and wait in the car!” She ordered him as she headed towards her room.

“What?” Stiles asked dumbly as he watched her go.

Faith paused at her open bedroom door and turned to face Stiles. “Did you really think I was just gonna let you both go on your own?”

“Well…” Stiles rubbed his neck uncomfortably.

“You’re going to need protection.” She pointed out.

“From?”

Faith shrugged, “Derek, the Alpha… yourself. Take your pick!”

Stiles began to argue with her about needing protection from himself but remained silent; nodding in agreement instead. He knew she was right; he just didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of actually saying it.

Faith nodded back, “Now go wait in the car, I’ll be down in five.”

She listened to Stiles mumbling to himself as he headed downstairs. She shook her head and sighed deeply before grabbing her jacket, making sure her newly wolfsbane coated knives were carefully hidden on the inside; gut instinct telling her she may just need them.

She as she made her past Stiles’ room, Scott’s ringtone went off again. Sighing deeply, she picked up the phone from Stiles’ desk and headed downstairs. She wondered briefly if she should superglue the damn thing to him, maybe then he’d stop leaving it everywhere.

***

Stiles swerved the jeep to a halt in front of Scott’s house. The door opened and Scott ran out and down to the car, slowing down as he drew close to the passenger side door. He looked at Faith through the window and then to Stiles; opening his mouth to speak before closing it again.

Faith wound down the window, “Problem?” She asked.

Scott shook his head and jumped in the back. He figured that the extra back up could only be a good thing at this point… then again, he didn’t really think that they had any other choice; Faith didn’t look like she was in any mood to get left behind.

They sped off towards the school without saying another word between them. As they drew in to the car park they could see that Derek had not arrived yet. Faith looked up at the school and had a brief flash back of Sunnydale High School and being there after hours; fighting demons or training with the Buffy and the Scoobs. She didn’t think she’d be doing something like that again… Then again, she hadn’t counted on getting a whole new group of Scoobs either.

“Déjà vu,” She mumbled.

Stiles and Scott turned to look at her but she just shrugged and made herself comfortable, leaning against the jeep.

“This is a terrible idea,” she said suddenly, “I just want to be the one to put that out there!”

Stiles and Scott answered simultaneously, “We know.”

“But you’re still going to through with it aren’t you?” she said, smiling subtlety.

Scott looked at Faith, “Can you think of something better?”

Stiles butted in, “Personally, I’m a fan of ignoring a problem until it goes away.” He looked from Scott to Faith and then back again. Both returned his gaze with disdain.

“And how’s that worked out for you so far?” Faith asked.

“Surprisingly… it hasn’t, but I remain optimistic,” he answered with his usual sarcasm.

Scott began to shift uneasily on the spot, “Let’s just make sure we can get inside.”

Stiles took out the bolt cutters and flashlight from the back of his jeep.

“Should I be proud or concerned that breaking and entering runs in our family?” Faith quipped.

Stiles merely at grinned at her, but was stopped from giving a retort as Derek drove in to the car park at that moment, pulling up alongside Stiles’ jeep.

“Where’s my boss?” Scott shouted as Derek stepped from the car.

Derek slammed the door shut. “In the back,” he growled.

Scott and Stiles both peered in to the Camaro to see a bound and duck taped Deaton in the back of the car.

Stiles looked up and glared at Derek. “He looks comfortable,” he said scornfully. 

Derek ignored him, instead looking past Stiles to see Faith beside the jeep.

Faith smiled widely and gave him a small wave, all the while knowing that it would piss him off.

Derek pressed his finger in to Stiles’ chest, “What’s she doing here?!”

Stiles winced at the finger now pushed in to his ribs, “Protection.” He stepped away from Derek and rubbed where Derek had poked him.

Faith grinned coyly at Derek. “Smelling fresh and clean too,” she said, winking one eye at him.

Stiles looked between Faith and Derek, “Did I miss something?” he looked at Scott who looked back blankly at him and shrugged before returning his gaze to Faith. “Do we need to have a discussion about why we shouldn’t be playing with werewolves?”

“Define playing?” she asked innocently.

“Well, I would define it as to take part in an enjoyable activity simply for the sake of amusement… How would you define it?” Stiles enquired, turning his attention to Faith, momentarily forgetting Derek and Scott were behind him. It wasn’t lost on him that he’d has this kind of conversation with his dad numerous times and had a sudden feeling of apprehension as to what Faith would come back with.

Faith took a moment, staring up at the night sky, and thought about her answer. She smiled and looked back to a waiting Stiles. “To utilise an object for one’s _own_ enjoyment,” she answered, her emphasis on the word ‘own’ had her eyes briefly flit to Derek before coming back on Stiles.

“I... You…That’s…,” Stiles stuttered. He hadn’t expected _that_ answer and it showed as he blushed. A cough behind him had him turning to see a Scott and Derek watching them with interest, or what Stiles thought was interest from Derek’s frown. “Let’s go and break into the school, shall we?” Stiles turned to Scott and nodded in the direction of the school.

Scott looked between Faith, Stiles and Derek, shook his head in confusion and followed Stiles. He didn’t even want to know what had just happened; sometimes his ignorance really was bliss.

Derek looked dumbstruck, “What are you doing?”

Scott turned back to look at him, moving backwards as he spoke so that he was still closing the distance between him, Stiles and the school, “You said I was linked with the Alpha. Let’s see if you are right.”

Faith grabbed Stiles and Scott as they walked past her, “Be careful. If anything happens, I don’t care what it is, you run. No heroics!”

Stiles and Scott nodded in agreement and headed off towards the school, leaving Derek and Faith watching them. Faith jumped up on to the hood of Stiles’ jeep and sighed dramatically, quite obviously already bored. She glanced at Derek who was looking grim, “Wanna play a game? I don’t want to brag but I kinda rock at eye spy.” Faith waited for a response but got nothing, “No? How about…?

“You aren’t going to stay quiet, are you?” he scowled, as he looked up at her.

“Nope, especially now that I know it gets to you.” She smiled widely, “Ooh, let’s _make_ a game out of that.”

“You’re surprisingly cavalier, considering we just kidnapped someone,” he said.

“No… _you_ just kidnapped someone…,” Faith pointed at him, “and what makes you think this is my first kidnapping?”

Derek raised his eyebrow at her and she could tell he was sceptical. She could also see he had been listening for a lie in her heartbeat and she couldn’t help her inward smile at the fact she was being truthful and he now knew it.

“Wow! I didn’t think I came across as such an amateur,” she feigned shock.

Derek didn’t respond but Faith could tell that it was torturing him inside that he didn’t have a comeback.

“I still see you are dodging bullets,” she said, “I’m beginning to think this is a common thing with you. Then again, I’m think it’s more of a ‘you and Kate Argent’ thing.” She caught the glare in his eyes and watched as his back stiffened.

“You were at the house?” he questioned in surprise. “Why?”

“I got lost,” she offered and shrugged. “Considering that your house is being watched, where have _you_ been?” Faith asked, giving away more concern than she had realised as Derek’s head lifted and he stared at her in slight shock.

“You sound like you care.”

“Maybe I do,” Faith confessed as she turned her gaze to the school. “Funny that…,” she whispered to herself but knew Derek could hear her. 

Before Derek respond, they heard a high pitched gargling squeal coming over the loud speakers. They both looked up, grimacing. When it stopped, Derek shook his head, his eyes closed.

“You have got to be kidding me?” he muttered.

“Are you sure he’s a werewolf?” Faith quizzed. “That sounded like a cat with a hairball!”

Derek glared at her silently, a look which Faith happily returned.

Suddenly the loud speakers came to life once again, this time vibrating with the power of the howl that followed. Faith’s hair stood on end as it resonated through her bones. She saw Derek stiffen up and could tell that he was experiencing a similar sensation.  
Once it had finally stopped, Scott and Stiles both exited the school. Scott looked proud. Derek looked pissed off. Faith truly thought that he might explode on the spot.

“I’m gonna kill both of you!” he screamed.

Stiles and Scott stopped beside the jeep, staying close to Faith. Faith knew Derek wasn’t being serious but she readied herself anyway.

“What the hell was that? Are you trying to attract the whole state to the school?” Derek snapped.

“Sorry, I didn’t know it would be that loud,” Scott apologised.

Stiles still looked excited, “It was loud and it was awesome!”

“Shut up,” Derek demanded as he shot a death glare at him.

Stiles looked at his feet and mumbled, “Don’t be such a sour wolf.”

Faith laughed, patting Scott on the back. “Simba finally found his roar, let him enjoy the moment.” She jumped down from the hood of the jeep, putting herself between Stiles and Derek; she didn’t think Derek appreciated his new nickname.

Stiles smiled up at Faith, “And that there people is why I am proud she’s family!” He announced to Derek and Scott.

Faith laughed as she cuffed him around the head. She couldn’t help the small stutter of her heart at Stiles’ words.

“Rude! I say something nice and you hit me, no fair. I can take it back.” Stiles rubbed the back of his head and glared at Scott, who had been laughing at the exchange. “It’s not funny,” he pouted.

Faith and Scott continued to laugh as Derek watched the conversation in silence. Scott stopped as he turned to face Derek’s car. “What did you do to him?” He demanded.

Derek stared at Scott in shock, “What?” he answered in confusion as he turned his attention to the car, which was now Deaton free. “I didn’t do anything.”

Before Scott could argue, Faith broke in, “He’s right. We haven’t moved from this spot the entire time you two were away.” She looked behind Derek to the empty back seat and wondered how the hell Deaton escaped without either of them knowing, or sensing it. Faith moved towards the car but stopped short in front of Derek as she realised that the hairs on the back of her neck were still on end and she couldn’t shake the feeling they were being watched. She looked around at their surroundings; ignoring the questioning looks from Derek.

“Guys, something isn’t…,” she started but was stopped as Derek’s body pushed forward. Faith glanced down to see claws protruding from his abdomen. She looked up in disbelief to see Derek’s puzzled expression as his body was raised and blood poured from his mouth.

Without a pause, Faith turned on her heel and grabbed Scott and Stiles, who stared at her in fear, “Run!” She shouted as she pushed them both in the direction of the school.

Both boys froze a moment before running, neither noticing in their panic that Faith wasn’t behind them any longer.

Faith watched Stiles and Scott run in to the school and watched as they disappeared behind the double doors. She stole a glance to her right to see Derek’s body being thrown across the parking lot and land on a grassy verge; his eyes open and for all intense and purposes looked dead.

With the Alpha’s attention on Derek, Faith moved forward with determination as she took in its impressive size, her hands going for the knives stored in her jacket.  She had fought bigger and badder monsters in the past, she hadn’t lied to Derek about that, but she still found herself staring at the Alpha in amazement. 

Without warning, the Alpha rounded on Faith and growled deeply.

 _'No surprise sneak attack for you,'_ she thought as the Alpha stalked towards her. Not one for backing away, Faith braced herself for attack. She blocked the first claw that swung towards her with well-timed roundhouse but wasn’t quick enough to dodge the next as the Alpha’s clawed arm came out of nowhere and knocked her flying back over the hood of Stiles’ jeep. Her back smacked against the cold steel, dazing her momentarily. The alpha grabbed her leg and pulled her forwards sharply. The force he used caused her to fall in to the gap between him and the jeep; her head struck the concrete with a thud and she blacked out.

***

Faith woke with a jolt. Her head throbbed and as she moved she felt like at least two ribs were broken. She winced and reached her hand up to her forehead. She felt blood on her and could feel the warm trickle where rivulets of blood were still flowing freely.

After a few seconds she willed her body to move to a crouched position. She took a deep breath and stood up. She looked around to find the parking lot quiet and Alpha free. She walked around the jeep tentatively, making sure that she kept her attention focussed on the environment around her. In her weakened state she had to ensure that she was not surprised by another attack. As she rounded the jeep she could see that the hood was torn open; large gouges had been cut through the steel and a large hole was visible where the metal had been yanked free. She looked in to the hole and realised that the battery had been mostly torn out; leaving only fragments of broken metal and the ruined remnants of the engine itself.

She headed over to Derek, still keeping her mind open and senses alert. She leant down towards him and established a pulse. She sighed with relief before dragging him over to lie beside the Camaro.

“I’ll be back for you later,” she said, not entirely convinced that he could hear her.

She heard a roar ring out from the school… she knew it wasn’t Scott this time. She picked up the bolt cutters that Stiles had dropped in his haste to get away and ran towards the school.

***

Faith found Scott and Stiles in one of the classrooms. As she burst in to the room Stiles jumped and landed in what she figured was a B movie kung Fu pose.

“My crouching tiger is better than your flying crane,” she said, trying to diffuse his panic.

Stiles smiled weakly, “The joke’s on you… this is my ‘fluffy panda’ and it’ll beat your crouching tiger any day of the week!”

Scott hadn’t even turned round and Faith could tell that he knew or felt _something_ , even if he couldn’t verbalise it. She looked around and saw broken glass on the floor below a shattered window; the battery from the jeep lay a few feet away.

A loud smash from the corridor caused all three of them to spin towards the door. Faith signed for them to run, pointing to the exit at the other side of the room. Stiles looked concerned but she urged him to go with Scott. As they left the room she opened the door and ran down the corridor towards the location of the noise. As she rounded a corner she came face to face with a pair of blocked double doors. She pressed her face to the glass and saw a dark object rush past.

“Come on doggy, time to come out and play,” she shouted. She stepped back and steadied herself; with one kick the doors spun  
open in a shower of splintered wood. She pulled two blades free from her belt and stepped in to the darkness.

A loud scream filled the halls, filtering down from the locker room. Faith suddenly felt afraid. Not afraid of the big ol’ daddy wolf but afraid that Stiles could actually get hurt; he wasn’t trained or battle hardened like her other friends and was vulnerable to all of the things she often took for granted.

She ran down the hall with renewed vigour in the direction of the locker room. As she ran into the room she saw a trail of blood leading to the janitor’s office. She stepped forwards and saw the janitor slam against the glass on the other side of the door, spraying blood from his mouth across the slick surface. She heard another door inside the room break, followed by the sound of the alpha running.  She ran back to the hall and in the direction that the alpha would have to run. As she got to the last room she found Scott and Stiles who had trapped the alpha on the other side of a door. Faith laid her hand on Stiles’ should and he yelped as if in pain.

“What the hell… I nearly pooped myself!” he confessed.

Scott smiled but the slight tremor in his lip gave away that he had been startled too. Faith looked through the door to see the alpha pacing back and forth angrily; his red eyes were vibrant and remained fixed on hers.

“We need to get out of here now,” Faith urged.

Stiles tried to push past her to take a look but she pulled him back.

“This isn’t a zoo!” she said, shaking him lightly.

Stiles still tried to peer over her shoulder, “I just want one look,” he begged, “please?”

He looked through the grate in the door and watched as the Alpha jumped up into the roof cavity. All three of them looked up as the roof began to buckle under the weight of the Alpha.

“Go!” She yelled, grabbing them both and urging them to bolt.

A ringtone caught Scott’s attention, “Allison,” he said, stopping.

“What?” Faith said.

“Allison, she’s here in the school,” He looked panicked.

Faith looked back but couldn’t see the Alpha. “Go get her and get the hell out of here!” she pushed them both forwards through the double doors but didn’t follow. As soon as they were clear of the doors she pulled them shut, broke the bars and twisted them together; locking her in with the Alpha.

Stiles turned back to see Faith looking back at him through the glass. He didn’t need to ask what she was doing but that didn’t mean that he agreed with her.

“What are you doing!?” He screamed.

“I can hold him off while you and Scott grab Allison… I’ll give you time to get out.” 

“Are you crazy?” he said, his voice high, “How can you think this is a good idea?... This is the worst idea of every worst idea ever created!” His eyes began to tear up, “You saw what it did to Derek and the janitor. Don’t do this… please, don’t do this,” he urged.

Faith smiled lightly, “Slayer, remember? I _have_ to do this… now go!”

“I don’t care! I am not leaving you here to die. What do I tell dad? He doesn’t know about any of this… you’ve only just came back… you can’t leave again. You are not doing this! I won’t let you do this!” he begged uncontrollably as he pushed and kicked at the closed doors, trying to pry them open.

Faith turned away from him as a low growl emanated from the other end of the corridor; the shadow of the Alpha was creeping along the lockers. She turned back to see Stiles looking at her in horror and she knew that he had heard the growl as well.

“Open the door!” he demanded, fear evident in his voice.

“Listen to me Stiles. I do stuff like this all the time. Just go with Scott and get to safety,” she nodded at Scott who took the cue to intervene.

Scott put his arms round Stiles from behind and began to pull him away from the door. Stiles began to kick and wiggle in an attempt to get free.

“Let me go Scott! I’m not leaving her!” he yelled, flailing wildly. A rogue fist managed to catch Scott in the chin, causing him to let Stiles go who rushed back to the door.

“Stiles!” she shouted sternly, “If I get out then I’ll go back home. Do you hear me? I’ll go back to the house.” She gave him a forced smile.

Stiles nodded but couldn’t bear to turn away from her. He opened his mouth to speak but she suddenly dropped out of view. Stiles smacked himself against the glass in time to hear Faith’s jaw crack against the tiled floor as she was dragged backwards in to the shadows; leaving a trail of blood in her wake.

Stiles banged against the door with his full weight, pulling and pushing at the handles in an attempt to break through as he helplessly screamed for Faith.

***

The Alpha dragged Faith through the corridors as if she was a weightless rag doll. Stiles’ screams were still ringing in her ears.

She was suddenly thrown violently, smashing in to a wall and falling to the floor. She pushed herself up and realised that she was in a basketball court. She could hear the Alpha prowling back and forth behind her. His warm dank breath filled her nostrils and the beat of his heart thumped like a drum; it was hurried but in no way laboured.

She knew that he could have gone in for the kill already _, 'so why hasn’t he?'_ she thought. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was ‘toying’ with her… how very un-wolf like. She pushed herself up and turned to face him; her jaw felt loose and she could feel her blood trickling down her chin, it was probably broken.

The Alpha was on all fours but had stopped pacing. He faced her head on; his eyes like piercing rubies cutting through the darkness. She heard the movement before she saw it, his entire weight slammed right in to her; the power he had made it feel like she had just tried to hug a moving freight train. She was winded but landed lightly on her feet before launching herself upwards and over his head. As she landed she punched him in the back, aiming for the liver and kidneys. His flesh was rough with coarse hair across it but her punch connected and he howled in pain.

She punched the same spot again but he quickly turned and grabbed her by the arm on her third attempt. She kicked up at his face and her foot connected with his chin, dazing him momentarily. He growled loudly and threw her across the court, slamming in to the bleachers. Pain tore through her shoulder as she heard a disgusting click and schlurp noise; her arm was bent behind her at an odd angle and she knew right away that it was dislocated. She used her free hand to push herself up and turned once more to the Alpha. He didn’t rush her this time… he just watched.

 Faith cradled her arm but stood tall. “Is that all you got?” she screamed indignantly.

The Alpha growled loudly and she could feel the wood beneath her vibrating as the noise ripped through the room. He dashed forwards again but she planted her back foot and round house kicked him to the side of his head, causing him to crash to the floor. She opened her mouth to speak to him but he was on her again before the words left her lips. She felt him grab her around the waist and begin to squeeze tightly. She was doing everything she could to avoid his bite but she could feel the pressure on her lungs as he continued to tighten his grip. She cried out and as the air left her lungs she heard two loud cracks as her ribs gave way. He heard this too and dropped her to the floor. He began to walk away from her, towards the exit of the gym but she managed to pull herself in to a sitting position.

She was struggling to breathe but that didn’t mean he had squeezed the sarcasm out of her… not yet anyway. “Hey, this house is made of bricks… huff and puff all you like but I ain’t falling down!”

He turned back quickly and she saw surprise, it was written on his face, wolf or not. She realised that he thought he had killed her already and could not contemplate how she was still alive… let along making jokes.

He growled again and stepped towards her but stopped suddenly. He turned towards the doors and raised his head, sniffing the air. Everything was silent and she could feel her blood pooling inside her clothes and she could feel her eyes getting heavy. She tried to push herself up but put too much weight on to her bad arm and crashed back to the floor. She felt the Alpha looking overhead and closed her eyes. She felt a sharp tug as he pulled her up by the collar but before she could react he shook her violently; her body flailing wildly as he whipped his head back and forth. He let go with enough pressure that she was flung quite a distance away from him… she landed with a thud as her body flopped to the floor lifelessly. As she closed her eyes she could have sworn she saw Scott. She passed out.

***

Derek could smell blood; it was sweet and acrid all at once. He followed his nose and found his way to the basketball court. The smell of blood was so strong here that he felt suffocated by it… it was tinged with the smell of death but not overpowered by it.

It was then that he saw her, a bloodied pile just out of sight. He ran over to her and flipped her over.

He gasped at the image before him; she was swollen and bruised, her blood stained clothes stuck to her flesh. She was breathing but it was shallow and weak. He tenderly lifted her up bridal style so as not to do any more damage; taking her full weight he sprinted from the school.

He took her to the Camaro and flung open the back door. He gingerly laid her down across the back seat and closed the door, jumping in to the driver’s seat. He glanced back at her and for a moment he felt pain… her pain. She gasped for air and the feeling was gone. He shook himself and turned the key in the ignition, setting off at speed towards her home, knowing that any ‘legal’ healthcare professional would have some _interesting_ questions if he brought her in like this.

As he sped in to the driveway he could see that the Sheriff’s car was gone. He listened intently but couldn’t hear any movement inside.

He opened the back door and looked down at her. “Right, I’m gonna lift you,” he said as he pulled her forwards. She didn’t respond, which worried him, as he lifted her up and carried her to the door. He leant towards the lock and his nails began to extend, sliding one of his claws in to the lock and moved it back and forth; with a click, the door opened.

He ran to the kitchen table and laid her down, brushing everything else off in one sweep. He lightly tapped her cheek and she opened her eyes slightly. She grumbled something but he couldn’t hear what she had said.

He took hold of her arm and pulled it back in to the right shape, applying pressure at the shoulder. “This might hurt,” he said. She responded with a small nod of her head.  He took a deep breath and pushed down hard, feeling the socket realign itself and snap back in to place. Faith hissed in pain but didn’t make another sound… he was impressed.

For the first time since he had found her, she opened her eyes wide enough to actually focus on him. “It’s amazing what your body can get used to,” she said, answering his unasked question.

Derek smiled, more out of relief than anything else. “Depends on what you do for your body to get used to it!”

“Very true… however that’s a story for another night,” she tried to smile but winced instead as her split lip pulled open.

“The Alpha didn’t kill you,” Derek pointed out as he crossed his arms and leant his body against the kitchen counter.

Faith shook her head. “I’m going to pretend that you didn’t sound unhappy about that.”

“I don’t mean that… he could’ve killed you but he didn’t,” Derek concluded. Faith could practically hear his unasked question – _why_ didn’t he kill you?

“He made a good effort… but yeah, he had ample opportunity to kill me but didn’t take it,” she offered. Faith didn’t really want to think about why she was still alive, more bask in the relief that she was.

Derek opened his mouth to speak but knew that all he really wanted to know was who she really was… _what_ she really was.

Faith pulled herself up and hopped off the table, an impressive feat for someone who was at death’s door five minutes ago. “I need to get this ick off of me!” she said, “and to see how much damage there is.”

He nodded and began to head for the door. 

“Hale,” Faith shouted over her shoulder as she headed out of the kitchen.

Derek paused for a moment before glancing back at her retreating figure.

“Thanks,” she said.

Derek nodded again and left without another word as Faith made the painful journey upstairs towards the shower.

***

Stiles burst through the front door, screaming Faith’s name as he darted from room to room. He skidded to a halt at the foot of the staircase as he saw Faith making her way down towards him.  He let out an audible breath of relief at seeing his cousin alive and who looked to be fresh out of the shower; dressed in a white tank and grey cotton shorts.

Without pause, Stiles grabbed Faith and pulled her into hug when she stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

She hissed in pain and he went to jump back, but Faith pulled him back towards her and hugged him tightly; she could feel that he was shaking slightly and hated knowing the she had worried him so much.

“Are you ok?” he stammered as he pulled back slightly and took in Faith’s bruised and cut face. He paled slightly at the black bruise darkening on her jaw.

“Five by five,” she said to him with a weak smile. During her time in the shower, Faith had come to realise how stupid her actions had been and that going one on one with an Alpha hadn’t been one of her better ideas. She hurt all over and she could see by Stiles’ reaction to seeing her that she looked bad.

Stiles stepped away from her, suddenly looking stern. He pointed at her, closing the distance again, “Don’t you ever do that again! Do you hear me? I don’t care if you are a Slayer! I nearly had a heart attack when I saw you being pulled away … and there are still a lot of things I want to do before I die!” He took a breath and continued calmly, “I’ve came to the realisation that I will not live long enough to complete my entire bucket list but I swear on the Green Lantern’s honour that I will not die a virgin… so, can you at least try and stay alive until someone takes me upstairs and treats me like an enemy… or you know, until Lydia comes to her senses! Is that too much to ask?”

Faith stared at him, clearly shocked.  She was truly speechless at his little outburst.

Stiles didn’t wait for a response, instead getting distracted, “How the hell did you get home?” he asked her before looking around the house in confusion, “and where the hell is Derek?”


	8. H is for Heal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** See Chapter 1.  
>  **A/N:** Well, it's time for Stiles to have his say about things and this one of my favourite chapters that I've ever written - my other is the next chapter. Thanks again to those of you reviewing and reading. It really warms my heart that you are enjoying the story, especially my pairing of Faith/Derek. Writing isn't something I'm confident with or fast at and I'm just glad you are sticking with me through this.  
>  Give love to my girl, Dru, who made me this awesome vid, [Running](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qio8SkV5bKw). That song is the whole reason this fic and poster for it exists.  
> Also, a huge thanks to Noturbaby for the beta - love you hon!  
> Now, I'm going to have to thank Girls Aloud and their song, 'Something New', as it's the only thing that got me through the night while I wrote this chapter and it was on constant repeat for hours. I don't even want to look at my itunes to see how many times it was played but it kept me awake better than coffee and if I came up with a dance routine to go with it then that's my business and my pets. I now can't stand the song to the point that I now grit my teeth when I hear it. I've walked out a few shops because the song was playing.

**Chapter 8: H is for Heal**

Stiles was on the edge of having of a monumentally bad panic attack, as in full meltdown, ‘danger Will Robinson’. He had been on the verge ever since he had seen Faith being dragged into the shadows by the Alpha; her blood leaving a wet red trail behind her. He was used to having panic attacks but he hadn’t felt anything this bad since his mom passed, and that had been years ago. He really thought he had had a handle on them after all this time. He thought wrong. His chest had been tight the whole time they were at the school; his breathing quick and sharp and had hurt like hell but he had made sure no one else caught on to what was happening. All of his thoughts focussed on one goal – get home.

Stiles didn’t really care how Faith had gotten home; just that she _was_ home. When he had burst through the front door and there had been no sign that anyone had even been there, his panic had increased tenfold. He was all for dropping to his knees and letting his panic attack overtake him but the sight of her walking down the stairs had made him want to drop to his knees in relief instead. 

He hadn’t really taken in her full appearance or her injuries until she had hissed in pain when he hugged her. He had wanted to pull away and not her hurt her more but he couldn’t as he felt her hug him back just as hard. It wasn’t until he pulled back that he got a good look at the damage and what he saw made him wonder how the hell Faith was still standing, let alone just taken a shower. He didn’t want to even think about how she looked before that. When the cut on her lip started to bleed he all but dragged her through to the kitchen; his panic forgotten in his drive to help. 

“We need to get some of these injuries seen to,” he ordered while trying hard not to pull her with him. 

Stiles came to a stop as he took in the state of the kitchen, which in his haste to find Faith he hadn’t really paid proper attention to what had been laid on the floor. His eyes came to rest on Faith’s leather jacket, lying on the kitchen floor and caked in dry blood; stiffening where the blood was thickest. Her shirt was lying next to it and was shredded into ribbons of torn fabric; wet blood was still glistening on the areas that were visible.

He looked back at her in disbelief. The simple fact of the matter is that she should have been dead. Scott had already told him the state he had found her in on the basketball court and Stiles had been picturing various ‘worst case scenarios’ all the way home. Although he knew all of this and understood what she was; his mind would not allow him to process the fact that she was not only alive but up and walking… for the first time since she told him, he was truly glad that his cousin was a supernatural badass. 

He watched as she sat down at the kitchen table then quickly dashed to the cupboard and pulled a roll of black bags free. As he pulled one free, the roll dropped to the floor and ran across the kitchen in a long black trail. He bent down and hurriedly pulled the roll back in to a coiled mess and pushed it back in to the cupboard. He bent back down and pushed the blood sodden clothes in to the open bag.

“I don’t know how I’m gonna explain these if someone finds them,” he muttered.

“Just tell them I had a particularly bad nose bleed,” she joked. As a small laugh left her lips it was immediately followed with a sharp intake of breath as pain wracked her chest and lungs… laughing was not pleasant at this moment in time. 

Stiles sat down next to her at the table and she could see that he was concerned for her.

“Don’t worry about me cuz, I’ve dealt with far worse than Cujo back there,” she reassured him. “What happened with you guys?”

Stiles told her about how they got out and how they figured out the Alpha’s plan to have Scott kill his ‘old pack’. He casually revealed that he punched Jackson during an argument and about how good it felt but didn’t linger on the point, even with Faith looking at him as though she wanted him to elaborate further. He made mention of Lydia’s master stroke of concocting a self-igniting Molotov cocktail from scratch; Faith couldn’t help but notice the pride in his voice.

After Faith asked how they explained to everyone what happened. Stiles went on to explain to her that Scott had blamed everything on Derek, thinking that he was dead, and subsequently an easy scapegoat. 

He watched as anger spread across Faith’s face but didn’t have to say anything as it was gone just as quickly… he got the impression that she could understand his decision; even if she didn’t entirely agree with it. He finished up his summary of the evening’s events with Scott and Allison’s break up. 

Stiles looked at her, “Do you remember leaving the school?”

Faith shook her head, “No, not really.”

“Do you remember what happened at the school?” Stiles pushed.

“I remember everything up until I got dropped on my ass by the Alpha,” Faith sighed as she rubbed her temple. “It’s kind of a blur after that.”

“Scott said you were in the gym but we couldn’t find you or anyone else afterwards. There wasn’t even any blood…,” Stiles trailed off. 

Faith nodded at him in understanding. “Derek brought me home and helped pop my arm back into its socket,” she paused, “He left as I went to take a shower. Your guess is as good as mine as to where he is now.”

Stiles nodded but refrained from asking anymore questions.

***

Stiles walked over to Faith, first aid kit in hand and placed it on the table. He pulled her head back gently and carefully brushed her hair away from her face. “Are you sure you’re ok?” he asked as he inspected the cuts and bruises. He prodded the black bruise that covered the entire right hand side of her jaw. Stiles had thought for sure that it would be broken as he had definitely heard a crack back at the school. 

“Jesus,” she said as she reeled away from his aggressive nursing, “Lighten up Doctor Mengele!”

Stiles grinned meekly, “Sorry, I just want to check that you’re….” His words faded away as he pushed her hair to the side. He could see fresh claw marks on her neck. He put his finger in to one of them causing Faith to hiss in pain. “These are claw marks, from the Alpha,” Stiles said worriedly.

“Don’t worry about it, they’re not deep enough to cause any long lasting effects, but they will take a long time to heal,” she said. 

“So you’re not going to….?” Stiles asked, purposefully leaving the question open.

“Become furry and start howling at the moon? No, I’m fine. I already turn demonic once a month,” She smiled. “Besides, he’s gonna have to bite me for me to turn.”

He smiled back and cleaned the wounds. As he moved her hair back he saw a larger scar and then something that made his heart jump.

Faith knew something was wrong and the fact he was holding his breath made it all the more evident. “What is it?” she quizzed. 

He looked at her neck for a second longer, staring at the two puncture wounds. He touched one, “What did this? Did he bite you?”

Faith visibly relaxed. “Oh those, nah that was from a vampire back home,” she replied nonchalantly.

Stiles moved round to look at her, his eyes wide. “You were bitten by a vampire!? Doesn’t that make you one too?” 

Faith could tell that his fear was real, even if his concern was misguided. “No Stiles, I’m not a vampire … A single bite won’t turn you. There’s a whole thing where they suck your blood and you suck their blood. It’s a whole sucking thing. Hurts like a bitch and I wouldn’t recommend it.”

Stiles stayed quite for a moment in unblinking comprehension, “That just sounds so… unhygienic.” His faced screwed up in disgust. 

Faith laughed loudly, causing her to reel in pain. She kept laughing anyway. “Of all the things you could have said, I didn’t expect that. Never change, kiddo.”

Stiles continued to help her clean the wounds she couldn’t get to, coming across many other scars. He looked at her with concern, “Why do I get the feeling this isn’t even close to the worst you have been?”

“It’s not.”

“Dare I ask?” He pointed to a scar on her abdomen. 

Faith looked at it, letting her fingertips graze the raised skin lightly, but didn’t answer right away. She looked back at him, “I was in a coma for a while.”

Stiles leered at her, “A while being?”

“Eight months,” she confirmed with her eyes downcast. She looked up to see the shock on Stiles’ face. “It’s not a big deal so don’t make it one. It was a long time ago and I really don’t want to talk about it,” she warned acting as if this would be the end of the discussion… it was as if she didn’t know him at all.

Stiles stood open mouthed and Faith could actually see the questions rushing through his mind. He closed his mouth and focused back on her once more. “Fine, another time then. And no, that’s not a question.”

Faith nodded in agreement.

***

Stiles had left Faith alone whilst he dashed around cleaning away any evidence of the recent events. She sat at the table, basked in the calm and bemoaned Stiles overuse of Spongebob Squarepants band aids. She had protested at the over-zealous way he had attached them to every scratch she had and made a point of arguing that it was a waste as she would heal quickly. She had given in after seeing that the more of the pink band aids he applied the calmer he got. However, she had started to remove them one by one when he wasn’t looking and now had more than half a dozen hidden in the pocket of her shorts. 

He dashed past her with a garbage bag and pulled the soiled cotton swabs and wipes from the table in to the bag. Stiles glimpsed at her, “I’m still pissed at you for what you did at the school.” 

He had caught Faith off guard but she composed herself quickly, “Stiles, you have to realise that this is my _job_ , my life. Just like your dad protecting this town as the Sheriff is his job, his life. The only difference is I didn’t get a choice to begin with.”

“You said there was an army now. Why can’t they do the job instead?” Stiles argued. 

Faith smiled, “They _are_ doing their job. There are worse things out there than this Alpha and they are dealing with those. I can deal with this, and I will… we all will.”

Stiles looked down as he asked, “Would you still do this if you had been given a choice?”

Faith contemplated the question slowly before answering honestly, “Yes.” She paused before explaining further, “I’d already been given glimpses of what was truly out there before I even became a Slayer… and I’ve seen much worse in the following years. I just couldn’t stand by and do nothing. Once your eyes are opened to this world, it’s hard to go back to being blind to it.” 

Stiles shrugged. “I suppose,” he conceded.

Faith lightly punched him in the arm, “Same question kiddo. Given the choice, would you go back to how it was… knowing what you know now?”

Stiles paused but shook his head, “No.” 

“Why?” she asked. 

“Same reason I guess. I couldn’t just ignore it.” Stiles admitted. 

Faith gave her cousin a big smile, ignoring the pull from the cut on her lip. “And that kiddo is why I am proud you’re family. Give someone all the powers in the world at their disposal but if you don’t have the heart then it’s all for nothing. You may not be a werewolf or a Slayer, but that doesn’t mean you’re weak. In fact it makes you better because you know you’re not invincible, yet you’ll still do everything you can to help.”

Stiles blushed in light of Faith’s humble honesty. 

Faith nudged him again, “You’re important so don’t ever think you’re not and never doubt your own bravery. One day kiddo, you’re gonna do great things … just remember to stay alive long enough to do them.”

Stiles smiled and nudged her back, “You too.”

“Deal.” 

***

Stiles helped Faith back upstairs and into her bedroom. He disappeared into his own room for a moment before coming back with an open front shirt. He helped her pull it on over her vest so that it didn’t have to go over her head. She still gasped as she tried to lift her arms.

“It’s the biggest one I have,” he said as he helped her button it up. “Why don’t you want to take something for the pain?” He pushed.

Faith shook her head. “It won’t do any good; my body would just burn it up… I heal different from you humans.”

“Not as fast as werewolves though,” Stiles quipped. 

“Wow, kick me when I’ve only just left death’s door why don’t you….” Seeing the worried look from Stiles she stopped, “Too soon?”

Stiles shook his head and gave her a weak smile. He helped her on to the bed and pulled the sheet up and over her, making sure she was comfortable. “Dad will be home soon. Do you want me to run interference until he goes back to work?” he offered. 

Faith nodded and snuggled under the covers, “Yeah. I think a couple of days should clear this up, except the ribs but it’s nothing I can’t handle. The claw marks will be hidden by my hair. ”

Stiles left Faith’s bedside and headed towards the door. He stopped at the doorway and turned, “Just rest up, ok?” 

Faith didn’t answer but he wasn’t looking for one. As he left he closed the door over quietly he heard her whisper, “Thanks kiddo.”

Stiles walked around the house to double check everything was in order and there was nothing lying around that could give away anything of what transpired that night. He made sure the blood sodden trash bags were hidden at the bottom of the trash can where his dad couldn’t stumble upon them. Stiles knew it was his job to take the trash out but sometimes his dad took the notion to help and he really didn’t want him finding something he shouldn’t. 

As he walked back into the house he pulled out his phone and sent Scott a message to let him know that Faith was alright and had been waiting for him when he got home. He didn’t mention Derek or the state Faith was in when he found her and to be honest, he didn’t really want to think about that again – ever.

He received a message from Scott in seconds with his usual smiley emoticon. Despite how tired and drained he was feeling, he decided to take a quick shower before heading to bed. Dressed in sweats and a comfy t-shirt, Stiles left the bathroom and headed to his own room but not before checking on Faith once last time. She was sound asleep. 

Stiles crawled into bed and lay back, staring at the ceiling. Now that everything had calmed down he took stock of what had happened. He was no longer on the edge of a panic attack and he couldn’t remember when that feeling had faded away; he was thankful none the less. All he knew was that he needed to help Faith and not break. He felt confident that she could tell what he was feeling but she had made no mention of it and he loved her more for that. 

He really didn’t like what Faith had done at the school but he was beginning to realise that he’d much rather she was here with them fighting this rather than stuck God knows where fighting God knows what… never knowing if she was still alive or dead. 

It scared him that she could have died so many times in these past ten years and neither he nor his dad would ever have even known. He hadn’t forgotten her admission that she had been in a coma for eight months or the feeling of his stomach dropping when he had heard her either; they would definitely be going over that one again. 

In the short space of time she had been there, he had come to love having her around and he knew his dad did too and it had nothing to do with her being a Slayer. Even before he had found out he had thought she was pretty awesome. It may seem small and insignificant to some but he had noticed that she never told him to shut up when he started to babble or go off on tangents. This was a huge deal to him, especially as he heard that phrase more times than his own name on most days. She didn’t seem to get annoyed by his hyperactivity to the point that she was actually able to keep up with his chaotic ways and was just as protective of his dad as he was. 

Before sleep claimed him, Stiles realised that he would need to offer Derek a thank you but knew he had to get over his fear of him first; he didn’t see that happening anytime soon… maybe he would send him some kind of fruit basket instead.


	9. I is for Intoxication

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who doesn't love a drunk Stiles? Anyhoo, this chapter was written before any of the others and I love it so much. Huge thank yous to all of you reading and reviewing and to all you lurkers out there too. I think you're all awesome.  
> I'd like to point out now that I hate One Direction. Loathe. They are up there with Bieber and, just no!  
> Huggles and love to Noturbaby for the beta and just generally being amazing when I randomly send her chapters.

**Chapter 9: I is for Intoxicated**

To Stiles’ surprise, it had only taken a couple of days for Faith to fully recover from her injuries. She had been right about her hair concealing the unhealed claw marks, and her ribs were still tender. He had watched her intently as the bruises, scratches and welts that adorned Faith’s face and body slowly disappeared over a matter of hours. The nasty black bruise on her jaw was the one that had captivated his attention the most. The bruise had begun as a nasty black and crimson blotch which faded to dark purple over the first few hours; turning a sickly yellow before conceding and fading completely.

Whilst Stiles had been happy to run interference between Faith and his dad, the requirement to do so had been unnecessary. With the manhunt for Derek fully underway, his dad was constantly at the station; only coming home to catch a couple of hours of sleep or calling to make sure Stiles and Faith were okay. 

Stiles knew without question that his dad was worried about what happened at the school. In fact, the only thing that seemed to calm him down was that Stiles had Faith for company and protection; mostly from himself. 

Now that the Alpha had made it clear his intention all along was to coax Scott in to killing his ‘old pack’, they had found a new kind of fear and uneasiness. This had been partially quelled when Faith made it clear that she wasn’t going to let anything happen to _any_ of them. 

Scott wasn’t used to having anyone but his mom and Stiles looking out for him so he was reluctant to surrender himself to the ‘big sister’ act at first. Faith didn’t let him have any further concerns however; arguing that he was family too and would be treated as such…werewolf or not. 

The days following the incident at the school had been quiet for Faith. She had either stayed in her room sleeping off her injuries or had gone out running; trying to get a hold on the feelings that had arisen during the whole ordeal. Her mind also flitted back and forth about how Stiles had helped patch her up even though he was clearly wracked with terror; he really was incredibly brave. 

However, the thing that dominated her thoughts was the fact that she had been afraid at the school; something that she had not felt in a very long time… in fact it was barely even a memory anymore. Her fear had been fuelled by the fact that she might not have been able to protect Stiles and Scott from the Alpha; that they would end up getting hurt and that it would have been _her_ fault. 

She had also been angry. 

The anger had been more of a surprise than anything else and had only manifested itself when she saw the Alpha skewer Derek. It had happened quickly and immediately overridden by the urgency of getting Stiles and Scott to safety… and as far away from the Alpha as possible. 

Faith was well versed in anger and it had even saved her ass on a number of occasions. The thing that concerned her was the trigger this time; seeing Derek killed in front of her - at least what she had thought was his death at the time. Seeing Derek’s bleeding corpse lying lifelessly on the grass had left her seething and baying for blood. 

She had been ignoring the niggling feelings in regards to Derek Hale but they were now crawling through her chest like ants. One realisation suddenly filled every inch of her mind… she might actually have feelings for this stupid wolf. This was not a realisation that pleased her… _‘What is my life?!’_ had started to become her mantra. 

Faith knew she didn’t need that kind of complication right now, especially since it put both her and her family in danger. 

She quickly dismissed the thought of confronting Derek and divulging that she actually cared for him. It would have released a shit tonne of fallout; especially since it was evident the wolf felt nothing other than anger and rage. 

A phone call to Dawn had confirmed what she already knew; after the events that had transpired over the past couple of days… it wasn’t healthy to dwell on those types of feelings and it was best all round for her to just to go back to ignoring them. 

Dawn had suggested one alternative; Faith could have sex with Derek and just get it out of her system. Before Faith could even respond Dawn had hung up; her laughter ringing in Faith’s ear. 

What made it even funnier was that Faith had actually considered it; more times than was probably necessary but nobody needed to know that. 

***

Faith had been dozing on the couch when she heard the sound of Stiles’ jeep pull into the driveway. He’d only got it back that morning since it had been at the shop being fixed; unsurprisingly it had been easier to get a new battery than to remove claw marks from the hood. 

Stiles had gotten the rest of the week off school, along with Scott, Allison, Lydia and Jackson due to their ‘emotional distress’ following the events at the school. 

He had decided to use this time researching … and trying to cheer up Scott following his break up with Allison. Tonight was a ‘cheer up Scott’ night, which Faith hoped would do some good as a broken hearted Scott was just too pathetic to watch anymore. 

Earlier Faith had thought of going out patrolling just to see if anything had decided to accidentally wander into town but her Uncle Stan had come home as she was getting ready; she decided to have dinner with him instead and enjoy some honest to God down time. She hadn’t seen him in a couple of days and could see how tired he was with everything so decided to go and pick them up some dinner. She opted for meat pizza with extra bacon which had made him light up like a kid at Christmas. They silently agreed to keep this to themselves; Stiles needn’t have to know. 

“Baby you light up my life like nobody else. The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed…” 

The off key singing caused Faith to leap from the couch and head to the front door. She opened it to be greeted to an unexpected sight; Scott was standing looking sober but was holding up the drunken and singing body of Stiles. 

“What the hell Scott?” Faith shouted. She shot forward as Stiles slid out of Scott’s grip and grabbed him before he face planted the front porch. Stiles squinted up at her for a moment before realisation hit him and his eyes widened. 

“Faith!” He slurred, “You’ve come to join Scott and I’s pity party?”

Faith looked to Scott scornfully. 

“He wanted to cheer me up and drank through almost a whole bottle of Jack Daniels,” he explained ashamedly. 

“You let him do **what**?” Faith yelled as Scott took a tentative step back. 

“Scott can’t get drunk so I got drunk-ted for the both of us… because that’s what friends do.” Stiles said as he poked Faith in the cheek. She recoiled back as the stench of alcohol hit her. 

“I can’t believe you let him get this bad,” Faith scolded as she propped Stiles up against the wall; one hand holding him firmly against the so he didn’t fall or slide down. 

“Hey, you should be thanking me for getting him home at all. He sang that damn song all the way home… three times, word for word!”

Stiles smiled but didn’t open his eyes, “It’s about me and Lydia and our love… or my love for her and how awesome I think she is. You don’t get it… no-one does. The sidekick never gets the girl,” Stiles mumbled as his head fell back against the wall. “Why can’t she love me?” he whined. “If only you saw what I can see. You'll understand why I want you so desperately…” Stiles sang morosely.

And Faith had thought Scott was pathetic when he was broken-hearted. 

Scott stepped away from the porch, “And this is where I leave you. Bye!” Scott called out as he disappeared down the street.

“Coward!” Faith shouted at him then closed the door and locked it. She looked to Stiles, who was now staring at her with wide blinking eyes. 

“Come here,” he whispered as he beckoned her towards him, “I have to tell you something.”

Faith sighed as she bent forward, “What?”

“You are my most favouritest, bestest, most awesomest cousin in the whole wide world!” He murmured as he rested his head against her shoulder. 

Faith grinned. “I’m your only cousin Stiles,” she whispered into his ear. 

Stiles lifted his head and shushed her, pressing his finger to her lips, “Shh! I don’t want the others to know.” He looked around cautiously, “They might be listening in.”

“Okay kiddo, time for bed. Come on,” she said as she lifted him towards her.

Stiles let out a long, deep sigh, “Ok, you go to bed and I’ll guard the house… look out wolfy!” He fell back in to her arms once more; his fists were still raised as if he was fighting an invisible enemy.

“Big bads beware!” Faith mocked him as she righted Stiles back to standing. “How about you leave the guarding to me and you get some sleep?”

Stiles merely nodded and shuffled towards the stairs with Faith watching him closely from the front door. He stopped at the foot of the stairs and looked up forlornly for a second before settling himself down on the first step, propping himself against the wall before letting out a comfortable sigh. 

“You can’t sleep down here Stiles,” Faith said as she towered over him. Stiles made a noise of protest as Faith pulled him up and lifted him over her shoulder in a fireman’s carry. “And your dad will be pissed if he sees you like this.”

“He won’t be able to see me!” Stiles shouted out, “I’ll just close my eyes and I’ll be invisible. Ninja Stiles!” 

Faith didn’t even want to know. 

Stiles opened his eyes wide as he and Faith ascended the stairs. “Annnnnnnd that’s your butt,” he giggled. “Why am I looking at your butt? Where are we going? Do you know who has a nice butt? It’s not that _you_ don’t have a nice butt but,” Stiles let out a small laugh, ”You’re family and that’s a level of weird I never want to reach… so, do you want to know who has a nice butt?”

“I have an idea you are going to tell me whether I care or not.”

“Lydia,” Stiles said proudly.

“Colour me surprised,” Faith sighed with a roll of her eyes. She dumped Stiles body mercilessly onto his bed. “Stay,” she ordered as she began to remove his shoes and socks; she threw them into the clothes pile in the corner. It was undecided whether it was a clean pile or not; considering the smell, Faith chose the latter. 

Stiles rolled over onto his back, propping himself up on to his elbows as Faith removed his jacket and shirt; leaving him in his jeans and white undershirt. He watched as Faith disappeared and returned moments later with a bucket and a glass of water. She knelt beside the bed and placed the bucket down. “This is just in case you want to puke.” Stiles nodded at her in understanding. “And take these in the morning, ok?” She placed two Advil and the glass of water on his bedside table. 

Faith stood as Stiles lay back against the pillows. She tucked him into the bed as he stared at her sleepily. “Sleep, Stiles.”

He yawned as she made her way for the door, turning off the light on the way. “Faith?” he asked. 

Faith paused and turned to see Stiles staring at the ceiling with his covers pulled up to his chin. “Yeah kiddo?” 

“I really… Dad and I really like you being here, despite all the werewolf crap. We’re just glad you decided to come.”

Faith took in a sharp breath at Stiles words. She swallowed hard and whispered, “Me too.” She made her way to leave and went to close the door behind her. 

“Faith?” Stiles asked again.

“Hmm?”

“We’d really like you to stay. You’ll be safer here and I don’t want you to leave,” He admitted quietly, “Will you stay… please?” 

“I don’t know,” Faith answered honestly. “We’ll talk in the morning. Now, sleep.”

“Ok.” Stiles nestled under the sheets and let out a contented sigh. Faith waited to hear Stiles  
deep even breaths to signal him sleeping before she let herself out the room.

“He likes you, you know and Sourwolf doesn’t like anyone,” Stiles whispered softly. “He could have left you but he didn’t… I need to remember to thank him for that… or you can do that for me as he still scares me with the growling and frowning, especially the growling… Do you think he practices frowning in the mirror every morning?” Stiles paused before sighing audibly, “Faith, do you think gay guys find me attractive?”

Faith froze in the hall at Stiles words. He wanted to thank Derek?! Stiles barely left with his throat when he met up with Derek and thanking him would decrease that chance even more, especially as she didn’t think Derek would appreciate being reminded he did something nice. She figured it would put a dent in his broody wolf routine… wait, Derek liked her? Before Faith could contemplate this new discovery Stiles had went off on another tangent, finishing with his karaoke skills again. Of all the songs Faith needed to have in her head One Direction was not one of them. A few of the minis had played the song constantly until the day she had made them run drills until they puked and surprisingly she never heard the song again – cue Stiles. She didn’t think he’d last as long as the minis did if she put him through drills. 

“Go to sleep!” She warned him through the door. 

A moment of silence filled the house before Faith heard her name being called again. She stomped into Stiles’ room. “What?”

“What would you have been doing if I hadn’t called you just now?” Stiles asked innocently.

Faith growled, shook her head and exited the room. She made her way downstairs and closed up the house before making her way to her room. She stopped to check Stiles was asleep and found him sprawled out over his bed, out cold and snoring; arms and legs spread-eagled, his head hanging over the bed in the direction of the bucket, his mouth open with a pool of drool collecting under his chin. Faith made to fix the sheets that had half fallen off but decided against it as she didn’t want him waking up and begin talking again, or worse, singing. 

She hummed to herself as she got ready for bed but stopped suddenly as the realisation struck to what she was humming…

“Shit.” 

Her cousin was in for some serious payback in the morning and running drills until he puked just wouldn’t cut it. 

***

“GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE!” Faith said with far too much enthusiasm for someone at 7am in the morning. She emphasised this more by pulling off the sheets covering Stiles and laid a hard smack to his jean clad ass. 

The sound that escaped from Stiles, which when recounted later would not have occurred, was less manly and more of a high pitched girly squeal of fright; thus followed by him rolling over and falling off the other side of the bed, landing with a thud on the floor. 

Faith laughed loudly as she fell on bed, peering over the edge at Stiles haphazard form hidden under a pile of sheets. She may not be able to see him but she could hear the groans of pain from a severe hangover. Faith smiled wider and pulled at the sheet. Stiles looked exactly how she expected him to; pale skin and bleary eyed and on the verge of puking at any moment. 

“And how are we feeling on this fine morning?” She asked. 

Stiles opened one eye warily. “You’re evil and I hate you,” he rasped. He opened both eyes slowly, blinking rapidly at the blinding light coming in through the window above him before covering them with his forearm. “Urgh… just leave me here to die.”

“Shame and you were really beginning to grow on me too,” Faith teased. 

“What did you hit me with? My ass cheek is numb!”

Faith raised her hand up, palm side forwards.

“Was that really necessary?” Stiles moaned. 

Faith shrugged. “It wasn’t that hard. I held back… a little.”

“What if I had been naked?” Stiles looked up to see Faith’s frowning. “What? I could have been!” he argued.

“Doubtful. I stripped you after carrying you upstairs and I have no desire to see your scrawny ass.” Faith pushed herself off the bed as Stiles weakly pulled himself back up onto it; his face smashed into the mattress. “Besides, you don’t look the type to sleep naked,” she pointed out. 

“There’s a _type_?” he asked, his voice muffled by the mattress. “Wait, _you_ carried me upstairs?” 

“Yep,” Faith chirped, “And you are not that type!” she laughed.

Stiles lifted his head lightly, “Can you teach me these skills, for a purely academic point of view, so that I can see who sleeps naked?”

“Perv!” she joked and left the room. She slammed the door and laughed as she heard Stiles groan loudly from inside the room; reacting to the loud bang. 

“Was _that_ really necessary?!”

***  
Half an hour later, Stiles shuffled his way into the kitchen looking like death warmed up; his t shirt hanging limply off him but he had changed from his jeans to a pair of sweats. He fell into the nearest chair and laid his head on the table, moaning weakly. 

Faith watched Stiles from her spot on the kitchen countertop with a subtle grin. “So, I was thinking that I could cook you breakfast this morning,” she offered as she hopped down onto the kitchen floor and walked towards Stiles. “How about a greasy, pork sandwich served on a dirty ashtray, hmm?”

Stiles groaned and swallowed down bile. He waited a moment as he attempted to rid himself of the image Faith’s words had conjured in his mind before replying, “As much as I would love to commend you on the use of your 80s movies pop culture, I politely decline.”

“Pity,” Faith said as she turned away from Stiles and moved towards the toaster; she grabbed the toast as it popped out. “I think this will do more good. It’ll help soak up the rest of the alcohol in your system and your stomach should be able to keep it down. Here,” She suggested as she placed the plate of dry toast in front of Stiles and a cup of strong black coffee. 

Stiles raised his head slowly and pulled the plate and cup towards him, “Thanks.” He ate with small careful bites of toast and small sips of coffee as he watched Faith potter around the kitchen; cleaning and making herself some breakfast. He stopped chewing when he heard Faith begin to hum to herself while she grabbed a bowl from the cupboard above her head. It wasn’t the humming that had him pausing, but the song. 

“What song is that?” He asked. 

Faith turned to Stiles in confusion. “Huh?”

“The humming… what song is that?” 

“Oh, I have no idea. I heard it yesterday and it has been in my head ever since,” Faith replied as she turned back to making her bowl of cereal. “All I know is some tween pop band sings it. You know it?”

“Nope… no, never heard it before in my life,” Stiles answered quickly as he suddenly became overly interested in the contents of his coffee cup. 

With her back to Stiles, Faith grinned wide before fixing on her poker face and turning to grab the milk from the refrigerator. “How’s the toast?” she asked. 

“Staying down.” 

“I wouldn’t be chowing down on any curly fries today but you should be fine,” Faith advised as she hopped back up onto the countertop. She took a few bites of her cereal and watched Stiles intently as she decided to put her plan into action. The humming had been the beginning, now it was time to hit him with everything. “It must have been a good night.”

Stiles shrugged, “I can’t remember much to be honest. It’s a blur after realising Scott couldn’t get drunk.” 

Faith watched as Stiles took a bite of toast. “Yeah, good thing I suppose. I mean, if I had done what you had done last night then I wouldn’t want to remember it either,” she said as she fixed her gaze on the scenery outside. She could see Stiles reflection in the window; his attention fixed on her. “I mean, going to Derek’s house…”

“What?” Stiles swallowed hard. 

“… and then swiping his leather jacket…” Faith pointed to where a black leather jacket was lying over the back of the couch. Stiles eyes followed curiously before widening in alarm. 

“I DID WHAT?!” Stiles squeaked as he choked on his toast and coffee, coughing as crumbs spewed everywhere; his gaze flitting from the leather jacket then to Faith in abject horror. 

“…and then wearing it home. Yeah, maybe it is best you don’t remember,” Faith finished as she finally looked at Stiles with as much innocence she could muster, even though it was taking everything she had to not burst into laughter. Stiles looked like he wanted to run, puke and die all at once. 

“I WORE IT HOME!” Stiles shouted as he stared at Faith in horror. “Oh my God! I am dead and Derek is going to kill me.”

“That wasn’t all kiddo,” Faith added. 

“There’s more?” Stiles asked incredulously as his head fell into his hands. “What the hell could be worse than stealing Derek’s jacket and wearing it?” 

“You may have shouted at him, “I’m the Alpha bitch!” before running off.”

Faith didn’t think Stiles could get any more paler but she was wrong as she watched him slowly fall in on himself; his head shaking from side to side in disbelief. “I left the jacket on the couch and I don’t know whether to tell you this but I heard keys jingling in one of the pockets.”

“I TOOK THE KEYS TO THE CAMARO TOO!” Stiles jumped up, letting the chair fall back and hit the floor. 

“It’s fine Stiles. We’ll just explain that you have no idea what you were doing…,” Faith pretended to placate an extremely freaked out Stiles. 

Stiles shook his head. “No, no, no… he’ll kill me, dead. He’ll tear my throat out for sure this time as this is way worse than me just being my usual annoying self.” He stared hard at Faith. “Derek’s leather jacket is like Batman’s suit and his Camaro? Totally the Batmobile… I’m so dead.”

“I could take them back without him knowing you took them?” Faith suggested. 

“He’ll know it’s me with his wolfy senses. It won’t even matter that he actually likes you, he’ll still kill me.”

“I think you are being overdramatic.”

“No, Lydia snapping the heel on her favourite shoes and taking a day off school because of it is over dramatic. This… this is… this is end of the world!” Stiles squeaked. 

"It's not even close. Believe me." Faith hopped down from the countertop and grabbed Stiles. “It’s fine. We all do stupid things when we are drunk.” 

“I cause my early death. What did you do?”

Faith contemplated her answer, “Let’s just say that Buffy and I will never be heading to Vegas anytime soon or ever. We did get kicked out of Dublin once by some leprechauns but I think they were a bit pissed that we out drank them and then demanded they show us where they stash all the marshmallows. Funny thing is we woke the next day to bags of marshmallows around us. Still have no idea how they got there.”

Stiles gazed at Faith in wonder before realisation took hold and he succumbed to his terror. He jumped when he heard knocking on the front door and instinctively hid behind Faith. “That’s Derek coming to kill me,” he wailed. 

Faith shook her head. “Doubtful. We haven’t seen him since that night at the school and I don’t think he’d come out of hiding just to kill you, but,” she paused slightly as she looked over her shoulder at Stiles then back to the door, “Just in case, stay here.”

Faith let go of Stiles and headed to the front door as Scott made his way in.

“Hey! So, is Stiles…,” Scott began but was cut off as Stiles came out of the kitchen. 

“Of all the stupid shit we have ever done… will _ever_ do… I can’t believe you would let me do something like that! I mean, we are bros and bros don’t let other bros do stupid shit that will get them mauled by a mean and severely angry werewolf! Why the fuck would you let me do that… why Scott, why?” Stiles shouted as he herded Scott into the living room. 

Faith stopped at the doorway and watched in glee at the shocked look on Scott’s face and the fury on Stiles. She could tell that Scott didn’t have a clue what Stiles was talking about by his confused expression. 

“What?” Scott spluttered. “I didn’t mean to leave you but you were singing…,” he attempted to explain. 

“Wait!” Stiles interrupted, raising his hand. “I was singing too! Please tell me I wasn’t singing at Derek? If I serenaded _Derek Hale_ then I’ll kill myself and save him the trouble.”

“What has Derek got to do with this? Has he been here?” Scott asked as he looked from Stiles to Faith for answers.

“No, but when he does it will be to kill me because you stood by and let me steal his leather jacket and then call him a bitch!”

“I let you do WHAT?!” Scott shouted back at Stiles. “I would never let you do any of that. All that happened last night was that you go too drunk and I had to drag your ass home while you sang One Direction! I left you with Faith when you started crying about Lydia.”

Stiles stood with his arms crossed and glared at Scott. “I do not cry about Lydia. I pine. There is a difference,” he explained. “But if we didn’t do anything then why…,” Stiles said quietly as he slowly turned around to face a grinning Faith. “YOU!”

“Me!” Faith mocked, feigning shock. 

“But…but…but…you … you said,” Stiles stuttered, “I…I… you…you…”

“Are the most awesomest cousin in the whole wide world?” Faith joked. "Call it payback for getting One Direction stuck in my head. It was either this or, well, the alternative would have probably made you cry."

Stiles stood in silence as he stared in shock at Faith. He couldn’t believe that she had tricked him – and had used his hangover to do it. He had to give her kudos for the fact she used his fear of Derek to make it seem more believable and he could now see that the leather jacket she was referring to was actually the new one she had just bought. 

“Oh, it is on!” He huffed as he stomped away from Scott and Faith, heading upstairs. “It is on like Donkey Kong!”

“Aw cuz, you don’t stand a chance,” Faith said as she followed him. “You don’t even know my weak spots, whereas I know all of yours.” She stopped at the bottom of the staircase with Scott behind her as Stiles tripped and fell on the stairs. He righted himself quickly and turned to face them.

“This does not distract from the fact that this is on!” He pointed at Faith indignantly before making his way back up the stairs and slamming his bedroom door, leaving Faith and Scott staring after him in silence. 

“I think you may have broken Stiles,” Scott whispered to Faith. 

***

It took Stiles less than twenty-four hours to forgive Faith for her prank. Her punishment, as he had called it, had been the silent treatment; he just hadn’t figured on Faith doing the same thing back. After she had refused to let him use her laptop and then ate all the curly fries at dinner, he caved. Later, when retelling the story to Scott he will forget to mention that Faith had sat on him while eating said curly fries and had refused to let him up until he had forgiven her. His cousin really didn’t play fair and his dad had been no help when he had walked in and found them; choosing to continue walking upstairs and ignoring them, but not before snapping a few photos on his phone. Traitor. 

Faith was now back out patrolling and on her own man hunt for Derek, but for completely different reasons than her Uncle and local police department. She had spent a few nights searching everywhere she could think of but there was no sign of him or any trace that he was still in Beacon Hills. Several times it occurred to her that he could have just picked up and left them to deal with the Alpha on their own but something inside her knew he was still in town. She didn’t know if it was gut instinct but she knew it was the same kind of feeling she had had that night at the school with the Alpha and during their encounter in the forest – the feeling she was trying but failing to ignore.

She finally admitted defeat in her search for the werewolf and conceded that she would have to wait for him to come to her. It wasn’t until Faith received a file from Dawn, that she turned her attention towards the Argents. Faith knew the basic gist of the family of hunters but curiosity had her wanting to know more and she had asked Dawn to use her skills to find out all she could. The file she had received was substantial but it hadn’t told Faith enough and so she had started to do recognizance on them. She used her days finding out that they were still camped out at the Hale house and that they still couldn’t find Derek. Faith hadn’t told Stiles what she was up to in regards to the Argents as she knew he would tell Scott and he was too close to Allison Argent. Despite the girl being innocent, it was obvious how close she was to her Aunt. 

A couple of days after Stiles and Scott went back to school, Faith camped out in Stiles’ jeep, watching Kate, Chris and Allison Argent sitting in their car arguing about whether it was safe for Allison to go back to school. From her parked car Faith could see that Kate was the more dominant of the siblings even though she was younger and that Chris was genuinely worried about his daughter’s safety. Faith had read from the file that Chris was the least troublesome of the Argent clan and led a pretty decent life, even if he hunted on the side, with his wife and daughter; he was respected by certain hunter groups and didn’t raise any red lights within the Council. 

After the Argents left, Faith made herself comfortable in Stiles’ jeep. She may be following the Argents but today her sights were set on a different target, Scott. It was the night of the full moon that night and she was going to watch him like hawk. Stiles had already told her they had it covered but she was leaving nothing to chance. She had been keeping in contact with Dawn through texts and emails for help in researching how best to ‘handle’ Scott. 

Faith’s cell rang as she scrolled through the Argent file again on her laptop. Her eyebrows rose as she heard the familiar ringtone. 

“You must be bored if you are calling me at this time in the morning,” she greeted with a smile. 

“How’s the stakeout?” Dawn’s cheerful voice greeted her down the phone. “And I’m not bored. I’ve not been to bed yet.” 

“Stiles ate the last of the doughnuts so I’m afraid I may be on this stakeout sugar free,” Faith sighed as she sunk down further into the seat. 

“Harsh.”

“Yeah, well I’ve already ate an entire pack of Stiles’ gummy worms which I think were way past their best before date.” Faith looked forlornly at the empty bag of candy on the passenger seat. “I know he has some stashed somewhere but you didn’t call to find out my eating horrors. You have anything for me?”

“Nothing more on the Argents at this moment in time but we are making sure what we have learned doesn’t come back to us or you. However, I decided to do a little digging in regards to your little teen wolf. It’s Scott, right?”

“That’s him,” Faith concurred. She ducked down as she saw her uncle leaving the school with a couple of suits. She figured by their demeanour that they were the State Troopers he was telling her about the night before. She sat up as they headed out of the school parking lot and in the opposite direction of where she was parked. 

“Yeah, well, considering what today is I figured on researching more about werewolves and the full moon. We know the basics with Oz but I went a bit further in regards to different types of werewolves,” Dawn explained, “hence the lack of sleep. You should see the stuff I read about mates and bonding. It’s pretty interesting once you delve deep enough. Did you know that werewolves can mate with…?” 

“And?” Faith interrupted. She sighed when the line went silent a moment. “Any other day D and I’d listen.”

“Fine,” Dawn accepted, albeit reluctantly. “It doesn’t look good, especially as his emotions are all over the place given his age but you did say he just broke up with his girlfriend so that’s not going to do him any favours.”

“How bad are we talking here? I really don’t want to take out Scott. He has this big puppy dog eyed thing going on which is hard to ignore.” Faith rubbed her temple lightly as she felt the beginnings of a headache forming. 

“I’m only going off what you told me and if he hasn’t shown any angry vibes then it shouldn’t be so bad. You just need to make sure he doesn’t get pissed off today. Once it starts then he’s not going to be Scott until tomorrow,” Dawn warned.

“Great,” Faith groaned. “I left him with Stiles.”

“This isn’t his first full moon so he shouldn’t be as bad but all werewolves, including the Alpha are all under the sway of the moon tonight. Just make sure Stiles tells you if he sees or hears anything that doesn’t seem right and keep a close eye. I would say you should go after the Alpha tonight but if the Argents have the same Intel that we do then…”

“They’ll go after the Alpha… or Derek.” Faith finished.

“Still nothing?” Dawn asked with concern.

“Wherever he is then he isn’t coming out ‘til he decides it is time,” Faith replied.

“For what it’s worth, I hope everything goes ok tonight,” Dawn said. She yawned loudly down the phone. “I think I better sleep. I don’t want the buttons on the keyboard imprinted on my face again and this sure beats cataloguing the library again.”

Faith laughed. “Thanks for everything. I’ll let you know how things go.”

As Faith cut off the call she received a text message from Stiles telling her that Scott had fled class during a test and he was now looking for him. Faith let out a deep sigh. 

_‘And so it begins.’_

She didn’t have to wait long for Stiles to call her. 

“Did you find him?” She asked as she tried to mask the worry in her tone.

“Yeah, he had a panic attack and I found him in the locker room,” Stiles replied as Faith let out a slow breath. “The full moon is doing this, isn’t it?”

“It affects all werewolves and Scott isn’t any different but he has us and we’ll make sure he’s fine.” Faith attempted to pacify him. “His problems with Allison aren’t going to help him either.”

“What do I do?” 

“Anything happens then you call me. I don’t care how small, just call. I’ll be around and I’ll pick you both up after lacrosse practice.” 

“Should I even ask what you are doing with my jeep?” Stiles questioned. 

“Don’t worry, she’s safe with me,” Faith kidded. “I am trying to figure out where you keep your stash of candy in this tin can.”

“In the Batman lunchbox under the back seat,” Stiles disclosed. “Just don’t eat the Reese’s Pieces and we’re all good.”

“Thanks kiddo.” Faith spun in the seat, her hand feeling under the backseat. “I’ll pick you up after practice.” 

Stiles hung up just as Faith’s hand closed around a box. She pulled it free and placed it on her knees. 

“Jackpot!” Faith exclaimed aloud, opening the box. 

***  
Hours later, after a seriously awesome high score on angry birds and a few catnaps, Faith made her way onto the field to watch Stiles and Scott practice. She wasn’t interested in lacrosse, or even knew much about it but both Stiles and Scott had been attempting to teach her; all she really knew was there was a ball involved and a stick. As she approached, she could see a group forming on the field, huddled together.

She made her way towards the group, but stopped at the bleachers beside the rest of the onlookers. She could now see the other players helping another player to his feet; he was sporting a bloodied nose and looked completely dazed. She watched as the group all turned to face Scott who was standing away from them. 

Stiles saw Faith and gave her a worried look before approaching Scott. Faith couldn’t hear them talking but she could see that Scott wasn’t remorseful, in fact he looked angry. She saw Stiles sigh and turn back to the group in time to see Lydia approaching Jackson. 

Faith watched as Stiles expression turned from worried to shock. She had no idea what he had just heard from Lydia and Jackson but whatever it was hadn’t been good.

Scott walked off the pitch but Stiles didn’t follow. Instead he headed in Faith’s direction; looking defeated. Faith figured that this wasn’t the right time to interrogate him and opted to let him come to her when he was ready.


	10. J is for Jealousy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** See Chapter 1.   
> **A/N;** Another huge thank you to Noturbaby. Seriously, I don't know where I would be without her. She deserves a parade!  
>  Anyhoo, another chapter posted and thank you again to those of you favouriting/following and generally just reading this. Believe me, I never would have guessed that I would ever be posting the 10th chapter.  
> You'll probably guess from this chapter that I'm not a Stydia fan. In any way shape or form. I just hope S3 nips that right in the bud and while I'm on that, I kinda hate that the US gets to see S3 before us Brits. It's not fair.   
> Love to you all and enjoy!

**Chapter 10: J is for Jealousy**

Faith sat in the passenger seat of Stiles’ jeep watching her cousin warily. She had asked him once if he was alright after what had transpired on the field and after the look of utter defeat she had received as an answer, had not broached the conversation again. He told her he’d meet her back at the jeep before leaving her standing on the field as he made his way to the locker room.

She had only just turned the corner when she was stopped by an overly confident voice. “You look lost.”

Faith turned around coming face to face with a sweat soaked and grinning Abercrombie and Fitch lookalike, or as she knew him to be, the infamous Jackson Whittemore. It occurred to her that he had no idea who _she_ was. She remained silent and sized him up, all the while keeping her gaze hidden behind her aviators. His entire demeanour oozed confidence; with his supposed panty-dropping smile and bright eyes… she had to give it to the kid, it was an impressive mask. 

“And _you_ are out of your depth.” She turned and walked away, grinning at the memory of Jackson’s stunned expression. 

She made her way back to the jeep; all the while listening to the rest of the students talking about the incident and their different theories on what had happened. True to form, nobody said that it was due to it being the full moon that night, instead referring to the possibility that Scott may be taking steroids or just having a bad day. Faith lived in hope that someone would just hit the nail on the head with their first guess. 

Once in the parking lot, Faith had watched as Scott made a quick exit from the school, grabbing his bike and cycling off in the direction of home. She didn’t call out to him or make it known in any way that she was there but had made sure he had left without incident. 

When Stiles had finally emerged from the locker room, his face portraying a look she immediately recognised as anger, she had remained silent and had gotten in the jeep. 

Now she couldn’t take her eyes from him as he drove in silence, anger radiating from him in waves. Faith didn’t like seeing him angry as the emotion just didn’t suit him. Stiles always had a smile and some sarcastic retort ready. He had a big heart and cared deeply about those closest to him; he wasn’t made for hurt, anger and pain. In that moment, Faith wanted to just grab him in hug and protect him from everything. 

“Look kiddo, what happened?” Faith asked, breaking the silence. 

“Nothing,” Stiles answered quickly. 

Faith glared at him a moment before letting out a deep sigh, turning to stare out of the window. When they finally got home, Stiles tore out of the jeep and into the house so fast that Faith hadn’t even opened the door yet. 

She made her way into the house, hanging up her jacket before making her way into the kitchen and taking up position on the countertop. She grabbed a bag of chips from behind her and sat staring out of the kitchen window, slowing making her way through the bag and contemplating how she was going to deal with Stiles, Scott and the full moon. She was making a point to not think of the annoying werewolf who she now considered AWOL. During all this she hadn’t heard her uncle make his way down the stairs and into the kitchen. 

“Penny for them?” he asked, making his way over to her, taking the bag out of her hands and grabbing some for himself.

Faith sighed, wiping her greasy fingers on her jeans. “How many pennies have you got?” she replied with a wry smile. 

“As many as you need,” her uncle offered. He placed the bag of chips out of her reach before leaning back against the refrigerator, patiently waiting for her to start talking.

“It’s nothing,” she said finally with a shrug. 

“Nothing as in the same nothing as Stiles?” he probed. Seeing the raised eyebrow from Faith he added, “I notice when Stiles comes home and goes straight to his room without saying a word. He hasn’t even asked what I ate for lunch and then glare at me as I attempt to convince him that I didn’t have any doughnuts.”

Faith nodded in acknowledgment; a silent Stiles wasn’t a good thing. “If I had any idea as to what Stiles’ nothing was then I’d help you out there but I don’t.”

“He’ll talk when he’s ready. Now, let’s hear your nothing.”

Faith thought over her words carefully, taking time to glance out the window to the world outside. She knew she couldn’t talk to him about what was really happening. Stiles had mentioned that he didn’t want his dad knowing anything that was going on and she had agreed, albeit reluctantly. She knew keeping a secret this big never helped. She knew Stiles hoped not knowing would keep his father safe. What he hadn’t figured out was that his own involvement meant his dad was already involved. Faith was keeping quiet for now but she knew it was all going to come out eventually. Today wasn’t that day. 

“Are you happy here?”

Faith blinked and turned back to her uncle in shock. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she had forgotten to answer him. Was she happy in Beacon Hills? If she were being honest, she hadn’t thought about it, even after Stiles drunken confessional. Where it was true that she felt at home here, she just didn’t know whether it was because of the situation with Scott, Derek, the Alpha and the Argents or because of Stiles and her uncle. 

“What?” She finally choked out. 

“I mean, I’d understand if you wanted to go back to Cleveland. We’d miss you of course, but I don’t want you to think you have to stay if you don’t want to,” her uncle admitted. 

“No, I want to.” Wait, she wanted to stay? “I like being here,” she smiled. She really did. 

Faith watched as her uncle’s body visibly relaxed with a breath. She couldn’t believe he was worried about her answer. 

“Good because if you haven’t notice, we like you being here too. I know that I’m not always around…”

Faith shook her head. “It’s understandable,” she interjected.

“But after everything that’s happened, you’ve made quite an impact on our lives. A good one, don’t get me wrong, but when you first got here, I’ll be honest, I was worried especially as it had been so long since we’d seen you and with everything that had happened…,”he trailed off as Faith nodded again. It wasn’t lost on her that her Aunt hadn’t really been mentioned since she showed up. She didn’t think her Aunt had been talked about since she passed, which she understood and she respected Stiles and her uncle enough not to bring her up either. “I’m happy that you are here and get on so well with Stiles. You two have gotten close in such a short space of time and I’m glad Stiles, well, Stiles and I both have you around. I have to thank your friend for getting in touch. ”

“I haven’t really done anything,” Faith protested, jumping down from the countertop quietly. She made to leave the kitchen and the conversation that was making her feel uncomfortable. In that moment she hated lying to her uncle about everything and had the horrible feeling that he would quickly change his mind once he learned everything. 

“Faith.” 

She stopped as she felt a hand come down lightly on her arm, pulling her back. She looked from the hand down to the floor before being pulled into a hug. 

“You’ve done more than you know,” her uncle whispered. Faith pulled back slowly, unable to look anywhere except the floor. “And if you want to stay, well, you know that we wouldn’t have any objections.” He rubbed her arms slightly before letting her go. 

“Thanks and I’ll think about it,” Faith said with a small smile, looking up and taking a step back. 

“That’s settled then,” he said with a slight nod. “So, that nothing we weren’t talking about?” 

“Still aren’t talking about,” Faith corrected him. She was thankful for the change in subject.

Her uncle gave her a familiar grin. “As long as I don’t need to kick any guy’s ass then I’ll leave it. I don’t, right?” 

Faith laughed, shaking her head. “No, no ass kicking,” she said, and then quickly added, “and no guys. I mean, there is no guy.” 

Her uncle raised his eyebrow at her admission. “Right, of course. It’s not that you can’t handle yourself but I thought I’d ask anyway. Well, I do need to head out again. I was only stopping for a shower and something to eat,” her uncle said, stepping around Faith. “You have plans?”

She shook her head as she followed him out the kitchen to the front door. “No. I’ll probably just have a quiet night,” she lied. “I may try and get Stiles to talk. I’m thinking curly fries.”

As her uncle left the house he turned and gave her a wide smile. “It might but may I suggest the approach you used from the other day.”

Faith returned the smile and watched from the front porch as her uncle left for work, giving him a small wave goodbye. She headed back in the house, closing the door behind her to find Stiles coming down the stairs. 

“You going to talk yet or do I have to sit on you again?” Her question holding the promise that she would do just that if she didn’t get the answer she wanted. 

Stiles shook his head. “I’ll talk.”

Faith gestured to the dining room with a nod of her head; she followed behind him as he made his way through. 

As she seated herself in front of her cousin, she could see that he was still angry but not vibrating with it as he had been earlier. They sat in silence for a while with Faith watching Stiles movements closely; his leg twitching nervously as he ran his fingers through his short hair. She didn’t want to push him but time wasn’t really on their side and he really needed to start spilling before the sun went down. 

“What’s going on kiddo?”

Stiles took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Scott.”

Faith had figured on the answer being Scott but there was something else that Stiles wasn’t saying. Casting her mind back to the time on the field, she had watched Stiles’ entire demeanour change after he had heard Jackson and…

“Lydia,” Faith stated. Stiles jerked his head up so fast that Faith thought she heard something crack. “Something happened with Lydia too, right?” 

Stiles merely nodded before casting his eyes down to the table top and his clasped hands. 

“You gotta help me here. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me,” Faith pushed at him.

“Scott and Lydia kissed,” Stiles professed quietly, his head still bowed. 

Faith hissed in a breath as Stiles continued to be enamoured by the table. Of all the things Stiles could have come out with, that hadn’t even been on the list. Scott knew, hell, everyone knew how Stiles felt about Lydia and then he goes and kisses her? That didn’t sound right, or even like Scott. In fact, it really didn’t sound like Scott at all. Since Faith had known the kid, he had done nothing but talk about how amazing Allison Argent was, even after finding out about her family. That meant Scott was already lost to the moon, which begged the question, what tipped him over? 

“How was Scott today after his panic attack?” Faith queried, her gaze locked on Stiles. 

Stiles looked up at Faith in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Did he start acting differently than normal? Did he have a run in with anyone, or did something happen on the field?” 

Stiles shook his head. “He disappeared for a while during lunch but that might have something to do with Jackson getting friendly with Allison. I don’t think he could stand to sit back and just watch, so he left,” he explained. 

“And there’s your trigger,” Faith confirmed. “Scott hasn’t been himself since lunch. I told you that he’s under the moon’s influence but his jealousy over Jackson and Allison just pushed him over, which explains what happened at practice. It would be a good idea to get over there and soon… or I could do it for you?” She suggested. 

“It’s easier to explain me being there than you. As much as I’d love to see Scott explain to his mom why you are in his room all dressed in leather, however innocent it may be, it should be me,” Stiles said. 

“Do you think that’s a good idea considering what’s happened?” Faith asked as she crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair. 

“You said it yourself, it wasn’t Scott,” Stiles argued. 

“Doesn’t make it hurt any less kiddo. Scott may have not been aware of what he was doing but Lydia sure as shit did,” Faith countered. She watched as Stiles slumped down into his chair in defeat. 

“I know,” he sighed. 

“Want my opinion?”

“You going to tell me there’s plenty of more fish in the sea?” he asked. That slight show of sarcasm had Faith grin slightly. 

“As clichéd as that sounds, no. What I’m saying is, and I can’t believe that I am, but people change, feelings change and even though you love her now, it may not last forever. Just don’t be afraid to let that happen,” Faith said with as much sincerity as she could; she wasn’t exactly the foremost expert on love. She didn’t want to add that she had figured that Lydia probably kissed Scott as payback for Jackson getting close with Allison and most likely didn’t even take Stiles’ feelings into consideration, or maybe at all. A jealous Lydia was a woman scorned who didn’t care who she hurt as long as she hit her target and that didn’t put her on Faith’s good side. 

Faith didn’t mention that she thought Stiles was too good for Lydia and her actions today had proved that but she knew she had to wait for Stiles to figure that out for himself. He deserved someone who appreciated and loved him for the hyperactive, intelligent, loyal and brave kid that he was. 

“Have you ever been in love?” 

Stiles’ question had Faith choking back a laugh. “Me? Hell no. I’ve seen how damaging it can be. I don’t think I could ever trust anyone that implicitly and he would have to accept the whole slayer deal and a guy tends to be put off by a girl who fights the forces of evil for a living.”

“Would you like to?”

Faith thought a moment, making sure no thoughts went to a certain AWOL grumpy wolf. It wasn’t something she was opposed to but she had a lot of baggage and her past certainly would scare anyone off. “If it happens it happens, but I won’t be searching for it, that’s for sure. It seems that history has showed that love and slaying don’t mix and if it did happen then it certainly won’t be with a vamp,” she answered honestly. 

She made a point not to mention that her longest relationship, if you could call it that, had lasted three months and there had been no love involved. Robin had been a great guy and they had had fun but she had learned quickly that a relationship started during an apocalypse was never built on solid foundations and once you took away the adrenalin fuelled, end of the world sex then there really wasn’t anything left. They had parted as friends and the last she heard he was travelling through Japan. 

Stiles stared at Faith in shock. “Has that actually happened?” 

“B… Buffy did and still is… will always be I suppose,” she shrugged. “It’s complicated for them.”

“She’s a vampire slayer and he’s a vampire. It could never have worked,” Stiles pointed out. “Just look at Allison and Scott.”

“Depends on how you look at it, but they tried to make it work when they could,” Faith disputed. “You’d probably consider them soul mates. Circumstances and curses mean they can never be together.”

“Ever?” Stiles asked his eyes wide in hope. 

Faith slowly shook her head. “Ever.”

“That’s just depressing,” Stiles said softly. 

“It is,” Faith agreed. “Well, now that I’ve made you even more depressed with the Buffy and Angel saga, how about we go and deal with Scott?”

Stiles nodded, standing up and heading out the door, leaving Faith still seated at the table lost in her own thoughts. When he came back down moments later, he found Faith waiting by the bottom of the stairs, leather jacket on and holding the keys to his jeep. It wasn’t discussed whether or not Faith would be going with him tonight, she just was. As thankful as Stiles was for his cousin being a slayer, he really hoped she didn’t need to have to use her skills tonight. 

***

Faith sat on the hood of Stiles’ jeep and pretended that she couldn’t hear every single spiteful word that came out of Scott’s mouth. She didn’t have werewolf hearing, despite what Stiles thought, but her senses were more heightened than normal and right now she hated them. She had heard Stiles confront Scott about what had happened and they were now being treated to Scott’s detailed description of his kiss with Lydia. She’d have stuck her fingers in her ears if it would have helped. 

She was seconds away from charging upstairs to knock Scott out just so he would shut up but she had promised Stiles she wouldn’t get involved until asked but counting to ten had stopped being helpful after she had got to a thousand and Scott was still talking. Nobody had to hear that, especially Stiles. Sadly, the person who knows you best is always the one who knows how to cut you the deepest and Scott would know exactly which buttons to push when it came to his best friend. 

It gave her pause that even though Stiles knew Scott was being a dick and hurting him on purpose, he wasn’t doing it back. He could easily counter about Allison getting cosy with Jackson, but he was staying quiet and Faith hoped Scott realised how good of a friend Stiles really was. 

Faith looked up when she heard Scott calling for Stiles, all malice gone from his voice, pleading with him that it was the full moon and to let him go, struggling against the restraints that Stiles must have used. She continued to listen as Scott’s begging became more demanding, followed by growls and death threats the longer that Stiles ignored him. 

The growls didn’t die down the longer Scott pulled at his restraints; they grew with frustration and finally Faith heard the familiar snap of handcuffs breaking. The sound had her body tense and senses of full alert waiting to see what would happen next. Her eyes looked to up to Scott’s open bedroom window just as Scott was jumping through it, over her head and landing on the other side of the jeep. She went to call out to him but he was already gone into the trees and the night beyond. 

Faith looked back up to the window to see Stiles looking back down at her. 

“Where do you think he’s going?” he asked worriedly. 

“I don’t know, but we need to find him,” Faith answered him. She let her gaze flit back to where Scott disappeared. “Before someone else does.”

***

As far as nights went, Faith was happily waiting for this one to be over. After losing Scott and searching everywhere they could think he would go, even chancing a quick check of the Argent residence, they had come across a crime scene on the side of the road close to the Preserve. Normally, Faith would have continued driving on and doubled back later without the car to case the scene but Stiles had been driving and so they had stopped. 

Upon getting out of the car, Faith was left to follow after a panicked looking Stiles. After witnessing two body bags being lifted into the back of an ambulance he began searching for his dad amongst the officers on the scene. Faith had been slightly panicked herself but had kept her cool until her uncle appeared from behind Stiles, who instantly grabbed his dad in a hug, after which Faith did the same. She’d cottoned on quickly that Stilinski men were huggers and it was something she found she had no trouble getting used to. 

Her uncle had wondered why they were out but Faith had explained that they were out grabbing some food when they came upon the scene. The excuse had placated her uncle but he still reprimanded Stiles for interrupting another crime scene, which Faith wasn’t surprised in the slightest. 

It had turned out that Stiles recognised the bodies that had been found, although his dad was never made aware. He had went onto explain to Faith that they were two guys who had happened upon them while they had been drinking and were the reason that the night had ended so abruptly, after they had taken the bottle of Jack Daniels and had attempted to intimidate them both. Stiles was adamant that even in his inebriated stated that both men were alive when Scott dragged him away, afraid of Scott but alive. 

Something Faith didn’t make Stiles aware of as they waited to near the crime scene, was the presence of a familiar car parked behind them. She made sure to keep them in her sights at all times, making sure they had no idea she knew of their presence. She wasn’t stupid and she knew why they were there. Full moon and bodies show up? Yeah, hunters were going to be all over that. As long as they didn’t find Scott, then they could stay there all night for all she cared. Instinct told her that Argent eyes were watching tonight’s proceedings very closely, probably making sure it wasn’t another Alpha attack. 

The car was still there as Faith left Stiles at the crime scene with his dad and had made her way back to Scott’s house, hoping that he had somehow made his way back home. Stiles had wanted to be there but she could see that he was still slightly panicked over his dad and instead promised that she would keep him posted if anything came up. 

Upon arrival at Scott’s house she noticed a familiar black Camaro parked outside hidden by the shadows of the house; to any passers-by, they would see darkness and nothing more. 

_‘Wait for one werewolf and two come along at once.’_

With determination and stealth, Faith let herself into the house and upstairs to Scott’s room. She didn’t know where it was exactly so she followed the sound of two voices. She paused at the door to Scott’s room, giving a small smile as she heard Derek’s familiar growl before frowning as she listened further to the conversation. Derek was offering Scott a chance of a cure? As far Faith was aware, there was no cure; once you’re bitten that’s it. She had a horrible feeling Derek was lying to Scott, giving him false hope and her suspicions were confirmed when she heard Derek’s offer. 

“If you help me find him, I’ll help you kill him.” 

Derek was going to use Scott to find the Alpha as he was the only connection they had to him. Faith could understand why he was doing this, it didn’t mean she agreed. Not waiting for Scott to start talking she interrupted, “Is that open to everyone, or just Scott?”

Derek and Scott both turned to face her. Scott stared in open mouthed shock and fear, while Derek had that questioning look; his now default expression whenever in the company of Faith. 

“Faith,” Scott whispered. 

“It’s nice to see you made it safely home. I hope without incident?” she asked, waiting for either one of the werewolves to answer. “Well?”

Scott had the decency to look ashamed. He went to explain as Faith held up her hand to silence him. “Save it.” She looked at Derek. “Don’t disappear. I’ll speak to you outside.” They had more than a few things to discuss. 

Derek nodded and made his way out the door and past Faith, knowing when he was being dismissed. Faith and Scott watched him go in silence. As they heard the front door close, Faith turned her attention back towards Scott. 

“Are you ok?”

Scott looked up at Faith’s question in astonishment. “Y…yeah,” he stuttered. 

Faith nodded at him. “Good. So, do you want me to tell you how much you fucked up or do you already know?”

Scott shook his head solemnly. “I know.”

Faith watched Scott wearily. She grabbed the chair from his desk and dragged it to the middle of the room, right in front of Scott, who was still seated on the edge of bed and sat down. “Want to talk about it?”

“And tell you what? That I nearly killed Jackson and Allison and if Derek hadn’t gotten there in time, then I would have? How about that I kissed the girl my best friend is absolutely nuts about? Or that I hurt Danny? And everybody loves Danny!” Scott shouted at her. 

“Stiles doesn’t hate you. He’s pissed as hell but he doesn’t hate you. I don’t think Stiles really knows how to hate anyone,” Faith pointed out. 

“Except Jackson,” Scott added. 

Faith smiled. “Yes, except Jackson and you can apologise to Danny when you see him. You also kinda owe Derek for stopping you killing your ex.”

“She’s not my ex! We’re just not together right now,” Scott all but pouted. 

“Even so, your jealousy of her friendship with Jackson isn’t doing you any favours. You need to learn to control yourself or you are going to have a repeat of what happened tonight,” Faith reasoned.

“Don’t do me any favours. I can handle this myself,” Scott said, crossing his arms in defiance. 

“Yeah and you did such a good job. I mean, if threatening to kill your best friend is you ‘handling’ yourself then carry on,” Faith said, leaning back in the chair. “Let’s get one thing straight, if you _don’t_ deal with this then _I_ will. You need help Scott and I’m afraid the only one who can is downstairs.”

“Derek?” He asked incredulously.

“Do you know any other werewolves, other than the Alpha that’s going around killing people?” Faith responded. She opened her arms wide to emphasise her point. Receiving nothing but silence from Scott, she continued, “I think we should take him up on his offer.”

“I don’t think I can kill someone, even if it would make me normal again,” Scott confessed. 

“You hang around with Stiles, you aren’t normal but if what Derek says is right and killing the Alpha will make you human again then you may have to… and I’ll help you.”

“I don’t think I can trust Derek but I trust you. Do you think it will work?”

Faith looked at Scott feeling uneasy. She hated that she was trying to coerce him to work with Derek in finding the Alpha knowing full well there was no cure and Derek was lying to him. Just in case there was even a slight truth to Derek’s words, she would get in contact with Dawn to double check, but with the way Scott was looking at her with those puppy dog eyes in hope, she couldn’t really tell him the truth. 

“No harm in trying,” she said. Seeing Scott smile at her, her uneasiness grew. She knew she wasn’t lying outright but she knew the kid needed something to hold onto, some hope. “Ok, now get some sleep and come over tomorrow. You have some serious grovelling to do.”

“I know. Thanks Faith for, well, everything,” Scott grinned. “When I saw you standing there I thought you were coming to… you know.”

“It’ll never get to that.” Faith stood up, spun on her heel and went to leave the room but stopped in the doorway, turning to face Scott. “You came this close though,” she said, pinching her forefinger and thumb together until they were millimetres apart. Before she left the room her attention was drawn to the radiator beside Scott’s bed. It wasn’t the bloodied handcuffs but rather the dog bowl with Scott’s name scrawled on it in black marker. 

“Was that Stiles?” She asked Scott who followed her gaze to the dog bowl. He looked at her sheepishly and nodded. 

She left Scott with smile, a quick wink and a feeling of pride towards her cousin for his actions in dealing with Scott tonight; the dog bowl was a stroke of genius. 

***

Faith closed Scott’s front door quietly, making sure it locked behind her. She took a deep breath, letting the cool night air fill her lungs before exhaling shakily. Feelings of guilt were starting to seep in and she didn’t like it; lying to Scott meant she would also have to lie to Stiles and that didn’t sit well with her. Resting her forehead on the door, she took another deep breath. She knew what she was doing was wrong but she also knew that if Scott and Derek didn’t work together then the Alpha was never going to stop. She just hoped that they didn’t hate her after all this. 

She turned to find an empty porch and no Derek waiting for her as she asked. With a shake of her head at how unsurprised she actually was that he hadn’t stayed, she made her way down the porch stairs. When her foot hit the ground on the last step, a figure appeared from the shadows of the house. 

“And here’s me thinking you went all Houdini on me again,” Faith said, turning to face Derek. “Should I be grateful that you actually listened to me?”

Derek stayed silent, his hands in the pocket of his leather jacket. 

Faith let out a frustrated sigh as she walked past him towards the woods behind Scott’s house. She called out behind her, “I suggest you follow or do you want to stay out in the open? I figured with you being a wanted fugitive and all.” 

She heard the soft footsteps follow behind her as she continued to walk deeper into the woods. With each step she allowed her frustration at Derek to grow. When the trees opened up to a clearing she stopped, keeping her back to Derek, waiting for him to catch up. When she felt him stop mere steps behind her she turned towards him and with lightning speed, moved forward and grabbed him by the lapels of his leather jacket, pushing him back towards the tree behind him. The tree itself shuddered and moved; groaning from the force of Derek’s back hitting it and the power from Faith’s push. 

“Where the fuck have you been?” Faith shouted at him. “If you haven’t noticed it’s the full moon and there’s an over emotional teenage werewolf that really needed your help.” She pulled him forward to then quickly hit him harder into the tree. “And don’t give me the bullshit about the police looking for you. None of this had to happen if you had just stuck around.” 

Derek’s eyes blazed blue as he pushed back against her with his own strength with a snarl. Faith pushed back harder, hearing and   
feeling the tree start to lean back. 

“What the hell are you?” He shouted back at her. 

Faith glanced down to watch Derek’s claw started to protrude. “I don’t think so Hale,” she growled before she pulled him forward and then pushed him back harder than she ever had before, hearing the distinctive sound of ribs cracking. “I asked first.”

Derek let out a deep breath. “As you said, I’m a wanted fugitive. Not good to be out in the open.”

“Bullshit,” Faith spat. 

“Why are you so concerned?” Derek demanded. He was pissed off at Faith but couldn’t find it in him to turn the tables on her and fight back. Her anger was palpable and he could practically taste it but it was the feeling of relief from her that was confusing him. 

“You walked out of my uncle’s kitchen mere hours after being skewered by the Alpha! Pardon me for showing concern at the fact I haven’t seen you since,” She retorted. 

“Looks like it too, as you try to put me through the tree,” he snarled. 

“The night’s still young for that to happen and I’m not in the best mood. Don’t. Push. Me,” she said through gritted teeth. 

She watched as Derek’s breathing calmed and his claws retracted. With a final shove, Faith let go of him, stepping back as Derek pushed himself off the tree. While taking the time to brush himself down his eye caught the damage Faith had inflicted with his body; the tree was sitting at an awkward angle with a few of its roots showing at the bottom, the trunk was dented with bald patches where the bark had fallen off, presumably from where Faith had rammed his back into it, and there was a considerable amount of leaves on the ground around them than there had been before. 

“How the hell…?” he asked again, pulling his eyes away from the tree to Faith. He gave a slight wince as he felt his ribs begin to heal. 

Faith shrugged. “I was frustrated,” she offered as way of an answer. 

“Frustrated?” He asked incredulously. 

Faith crossed her arms defensively. “Yeah, want to see what I do when I’m angry?” she said, voice holding a hint of warning.

“Want to see what _I_ do?” Derek threw back with menacing grin. 

“Please,” Faith scoffed, “like you’re the scariest thing that’s ever gotten angry at me. You don’t even make the top ten.”

Derek stared at her in disbelief. He gave a small shake of his head. “You asked me here, remember?” 

“I didn’t want to fight with you,” Faith shouted in exasperation, her arms raised. She calmed before continuing, “As I said, we’ll help you with the Alpha.”

“I asked Scott, not you.”

Faith’s eyes narrowed, crossing her arms. “Well, you are getting two for the price of one. Deal with it. Scott trusts me, not you and he won’t help you without me,” she said with a snide grin. “And I know you’re lying to him about the cure.”

“Then why didn’t you tell him?” Derek asked curiously, his eyes trained on her. 

“Did you think I liked lying to him? I know that giving him false hope is cruel but I also know that without him there’s no chance in taking the Alpha down. He’s going to hate me and so will Stiles after all this, but I’d rather ask for forgiveness for my lies than for their deaths. I’ll protect them both as much I need to and if that means lying, so be it.”

Derek stood silent as he mulled over Faith’s words. “Then I have no choice, do I? I don’t get Scott without you,” he sighed. 

“No, you don’t and let’s get one thing straight before we start deciding on the secret handshake. If you lie to me at any point and I find out, and believe me I would, you’d think being hunted by the Argents was a vacation compared to what I’ll put you through. Smell the lie in that,” Faith threatened. She grinned as she watched Derek’s eyes widen slightly before quickly returning to his usual cooled expression. It was nice to know she could surprise the werewolf. “See, it’s not so bad just giving in, is it?”

Derek shook his head. “I wasn’t giving in.” 

“Let’s agree to disagree on that, shall we?” Faith said. She smiled when Derek gave a non-committal shrug of his shoulders. 

“You are frustrating,” he stated, exasperated. 

“I’m frustrating?” she said with shock, her hand on her heart. “Look at what being frustrated with you does.” Faith motioned to the tree. “And I’m related to Stiles. He doesn’t come with an off button, you know.”

“How did you?” Derek asked, his gaze falling to the crooked tree. “You’re different and fully healed from your injuries too it seems.” 

Faith shrugged indifferently under his intense gaze. “Put it down to good genes and I just eat my greens like every other good girl.”

Derek cocked eyebrow at her. It was more than obvious he didn’t believe her. “You don’t seem the good girl type.”

“Appearances can be deceiving. You of all people should know that,” Faith responded with a pointed finger. 

“Point still stands.”

“Touché Hale,” Faith said letting her shock show. “You made a joke! Did it hurt?” She started to laugh. “Stiles will never believe me.” 

Derek shook his head, giving her a slight grin, watching her with hooded eyes. “The family resemblance is starting to show.”

“Except, unlike Stiles I will hit back and harder,” Faith replied with a grin of her own. They stood in the quiet of the woods a moment, letting the calm fall upon them. “I should be getting back. Stiles will be worried,” she started to explain, “and you have to… where are you staying? I know you aren’t at your house as it’s crawling with hunters.” 

“Around,” Derek shrugged. Faith could see that his walls, that had come down a little as they talked, were now up and fortified. 

Faith held up her hands in defence. “I was only asking. It’s that concern thing again. It has me caring.”

“And I still don’t know why.”

“Does it bother you that much?”

“No.”

“And here’s me thinking you weren’t going to lie to me.”

“What bothers me is that I have no idea who or what you are. I don’t trust you.”

“I won’t take it personally, even if I did save your life but you’re a smart boy Hale, I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” Faith advised, taking a slight step forward towards him. “I’m surprised you can’t tell through my scent.”

Faith looked up to see Derek looking down at her in what she could only describe as alarm. She didn’t know what she said that could have put that expression on his face; she was only teasing about her scent. She knew he wouldn’t be able to tell she was a slayer that way, more that she wasn’t entirely human. 

“Your scent was… fine,” Derek gulped, his gaze never leaving Faith. 

“I don’t think I want you to find out, to be honest. It’s too much fun holding this over you and I’ll admit I do like being on top,” Faith teased. “And I do could this all night but I’ll let you get back to… ‘being around’.” She gave Derek a quick salute before turning away and heading back to Scott’s house and Stiles’ jeep. 

Derek stood in the silence of the clearing and listened as Faith made her way back home; her footsteps light and fast. He could hear her call Stiles; eavesdropping as she told him that Scott was alright and she was on her way home. She made mention that it had been Derek that had found Scott but told him nothing of their conversation in the woods and he didn’t think she would but he still found it disconcerting when her heart beat stuttered with her lies. It had occurred to him then that he hadn’t heard her lie since he had met her. Sure, he knew she wasn’t telling him everything about herself and he never expected her to either; she hadn’t ever outright lied about anything she divulged, just providing half-truths. 

He didn’t know what it was that irked him about Faith, the fact that he had no idea what she was and that she knew it annoyed him or that he was starting to care? Either way it wasn’t good and the quicker they could find the Alpha the better. 

One thing was for sure, he sure as hell wasn’t going to lie to her. Even if he hadn’t been listening to her heart, the tone and sheer power that had radiated from her when she threatened him had him thinking twice. He’d only ever heard or felt that kind of power from an Alpha but he knew without a doubt she wasn’t a wolf. She was different, but from what he could tell, she was human. Whatever Faith was, she had is full attention.


	11. K is for Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** See Chapter 1. Dialogue has been used from the episode 'Wolf's Bane'.  
>  **A/N:** Well, this has been an interesting month. At the beginning I ended up in hospital and had to have surgery to have my gallbladder removed. Thank God for painkillers that's all I can say. I'm better now and writing again. I couldn't while on painkillers because whatever I wrote came out as gibberish. Now I find out that Teen Wolf S3 won't be shown in the UK! I'm not happy as I actually work for the company that owns the channel that orignally showed it. Anyhoo, new update and thank you again to those of reading and taking the time to review. I hope you are still enjoying it! 
> 
> Always love to Noturbaby for the beta. I'm still working on that parade.

**Chapter 11: K is for Kiss**

Faith was greeted at the door by Stiles who was looking worried as she arrived home from her meeting with Derek. She had already told him about what happened with Scott and whilst it pained her to lie to him about Derek, she knew it was for the best. Unfortunately, _knowing_ that it was the best option didn’t do anything to alleviate the guilt she felt with each new lie that fell from her lips.

Stiles dragged her upstairs clumsily and into his room. He started explaining what he had learned about the two dead guys; explaining that they were both victims of the Alpha. Faith sat and listened as he explained that they had also been burnt to a crisp afterwards. This fact unsettled her most as this wasn’t like the visceral remains left in the attacks on Laura Hale, the bus driver and the video store clerk.

Faith always had a gut feeling that the murders were related in some way; that there was some pattern here rather than just some random unfortunates. It made her think of something her uncle once said when she was younger,

“One is an incident, two is a coincidence and three is a pattern.”

A pattern was almost a given at this stage; the question was – what’s the Alpha’s end game?

He had mutilated the prior victims and eviscerated them upon death; leaving their mangled corpses in clear view. The fact that he had burned the bodies this time didn’t fit in with his usual ‘style’ and hiding what he had done didn’t appear to be a priority for him.

She _knew_ there was a message here… something hidden in the details but she didn’t know what.

After saying goodnight to Stiles and heading off to bed, Faith composed an email to Dawn. She told her everything that had happened that night, including the conversation with Derek and the supposed ‘cure’. She didn’t need to emphasise that she needed confirmation on whether the cure was real or not, before detailing the murders and her findings that the Alpha was killing for a reason and that reason was in Beacon Hills.

The next day, Scott arrived at the house and proceeded to grovel to Stiles and beg for forgiveness; true to form, her cousin did not disappoint. Stiles had forgiven Scott for all that had happened and had easily reverted back to how they were before. Faith wasn’t surprised and had left them to discuss all that had happened the night before with Derek saving the day and the subsequent revelation that there could be a cure. Faith had made a point to leave during that part of the conversation; opting to run away rather than answering the endless questions that Stiles was sure to have.

She had returned a couple of hours later to an empty house and a note from her uncle stating he would be working late – again. This was another reason on Faith’s ever growing list of why she needed the whole Alpha business to be over and done with. She took a long shower and got dressed for ‘lounging’; using the rest of the day catching up on emails from everyone. She honestly hadn’t been ignoring anyone on purpose, however, she felt herself fitting in so well in Beacon Hills that she had temporarily forgotten the life she had before. It scared her to think what would happen once she left; going back to travelling around and never staying in one place long enough to throw down roots. Staying _here_ instead had flitted through her mind already but she was equally concerned about making the commitment to that life either… not just yet anyway.

The thought made her think of how happy Buffy seemed now that she was in Italy; finally living a full and happy life free from slaying. Faith was not as willing to retire as she loved being a Slayer too much… but maybe the vocation she came here for could be more literal than she first intended. Beacon Hills may not be a Hellmouth but it still had its fair share of trouble and she had convinced herself that it could probably do with having a Slayer around for a bit longer.

Seeing as there wasn’t another slayer in the area she decided that she’d take the job. It definitely had more pros than cons at this moment in time.

***

It had often occurred to Faith that there was no real need for her to go patrolling in Beacon Hills since it had transpired it was pretty much demon and vampire free. It wasn’t that she liked patrolling as such, but old habits die hard… and she was bored. It also helped to keep her mind free clear as she blocked out the world; allowing for her to concentrate fully on the skills that came to her as naturally as breathing. Now she was walking around the deserted industrial park with nothing to do and a stake that hadn’t seen any action since she left Cleveland.

She could hear the city sounds around her, the music from the numerous clubs that were dotted around and the horns of the cars blaring noisily at each other. When she heard the sirens of several police cars, she ignored it, listening instead for anything out of the ordinary. When all she received back was silence she all but decided to give up and head back to her car and maybe finish off the chunky monkey that Stiles thought he had successfully hidden in the freezer at home. She was just approaching her car when her cell went off, breaking the quiet of the street. Faith knew it was Stiles by the ringtone she had chosen for him a while ago; he still hadn’t heard what she had chosen for him and was eagerly awaiting the day he would.

Faith pressed the answer button but her greeting was interrupted by Stiles. “Please tell me you’re out patrolling?”

“Hello to you too and I was just heading home,” Faith answered. She could hear Stiles muffle the speaker and speak to who she could only guess was Scott beside him.

“Are you near the Iron Works?” He asked after a moment.

“Close enough. Why? What’s going on?” Faith opened the car and got in.

“Derek’s there. He’s trapped by the cops and the Argents. You need to get there before they find him, or before dad does.”

Faith sighed. She looked at the clear night sky, silently asking, ‘ _Why me?_ ’ “Should I even ask?”

“Please Faith. Kate Argent just overtook us and is headed that way. By the sounds of it, they are closing in fast. He needs your help. ”

Faith gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles turning white. “Where are you right now?”

“About five minutes away.”

“I’ll get there faster. I’ll go and get him and I want you two to meet us by the Preserve. Remember where you went the day Derek was shot?” She received silence as an answer. “Stiles, don’t nod at me. Use words.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m sorry, I remember.”

“Good, now head there as fast as you can. Your dad will notice your jeep if you get too close.”

“Yeah, about that…” Stiles paused, “we have the Camaro.”

Faith gaped in shock, “Derek let you drive the Camaro? Is he dying?” She ignored the little blip her heart gave at the mere thought of Derek dying and the irresistible urge to punch something.

“Scott’s driving and it’s a long story but as far as I can tell, he isn’t dying or dead yet and why wouldn’t I be allowed to drive the Camaro? I’m a good driver! I’m way better than little ‘driving Miss Daisy’ next to me.”

Faith could hear Scott bickering in the background with Stiles as she started the engine. She knew it was risky using her car to pick up Derek during a police chase but with her tinted windows and her driving skills, she should get out of there with no problems. Dealing with the hunters, despite the fact she really didn’t want them knowing who she was, would be easier than dealing with the cops; she didn’t think her uncle would appreciate his niece in handcuffs and having to explain why.

“I’ll see you two soon.” Faith hung up as she sped away, heading towards the Iron Works. She knew there were a couple of entrances to the warehouse and she had a good idea where the police would try and trap Derek but was unclear on how the Argents would trap him; that worried her. She didn’t need them shooting first and asking questions later, let alone getting anyone else caught in the line of fire; collateral damage was unacceptable right now.

Faith heard the sirens long before she saw the cluster of cop cars at the entrance to the Iron Works; she swerved out of view and quickly made her way to the rear of the warehouse where she knew the trucks were parked. There was an entrance to the building that was for forklifts only but she guessed her car could fit through with no trouble before coming out the other end and bypassing the cops completely… and hopefully the Argents too.

She hit the gas and sped through the warehouse as she heard the shots ring out only stopping the car as she saw the explosion and Derek run for cover behind a forklift. She winced when she saw the flare go off and could see that it had affected Derek’s vision.

“Get in the car!” She shouted. She let out a high pitched whistle as she pushed open the passenger door to get his attention. She could see the look of shock on his face as he turned, squinting, before another shot ran out, hitting close to the open car door.

Derek ran towards the car and jumped in as Faith tore out of the warehouse, leaving dust in her wake. She kept the fast speed until she was far enough away, making her way to the opposite side of town, away from the Preserve and Scott and Stiles. She wanted to make sure they weren’t being followed first before heading in the right direction. It was another few moments before she realised that she did in fact have a passenger, who was looking at her in question; the after effects of the flare long since gone.

“What?” She finally asked, her eyes darting from Derek to the road. “Were you expecting someone else? I could go back if you want?”

When she received a huff in response, she gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles paling.

“You know, a thank you would be nice!” Faith barked, “I could have had other plans that may or may not have included a large tub of ice cream and a couch.”

“I didn’t ask for any help, especially yours,” Derek growled.

Faith frowned at Derek before pulling over to the side of the deserted road. Turning off the engine, she turned to Derek and slapped him upside the head. “I should just _drag_ you back to the Argents!” she shouted.

Faith raised her hand to slap him again but was stopped short by Derek’s hand as it caught her wrist tightly.

“Let go,” Faith growled at him. She twisted her wrist to slacken his hold but could feel it tighten instead, her bones rubbing together painfully but not enough for her to give him the satisfaction of letting it show. She used her other hand to pry his hand off her wrist but he grabbed her other wrist, pulling it away so both her hands were apart.

“Let. Go,” she threatened, gritting her teeth. Faith watched as Derek’s eyes widened slightly before narrowing.

“No.”

Faith breathed deeply as she pushed all her anger towards getting out of Derek’s hold on her, the air in the car started to crackle with the tension between the two. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and concentrated on slowly rotating her wrists around to grab a hold of Derek’s jacket, using the leverage to allow his hold on her to loosen. When she opened her eyes she could see Derek looking from her to back down to where they were connected in surprise as she twisted out of the crushing grip he had on her. When she finally got out she pushed away from him with breath and a hiss as she looked to her wrists and watched as they started to darken with fresh bruises.

She looked up to find Derek staring at her in open mouthed shock before looking down to her wrists in abject horror. He looked back at her in an expression she could only describe as guilt. She watched with wide eyes, her anger fading as he lightly took hold of her wrists, turning them so he could inspect them in the light coming from the streetlamp outside.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Faith shook her head. “I hit you so I should be apologising. I shouldn’t have done that but you pissed me off,” she said lightly as she allowed Derek to examine her wrists. “I’m a big girl, I can take it. It doesn’t hurt and those will fade quickly.”

“You shouldn’t have to,” Derek frowned, letting her go gently. “And thank you.”

"See, was that so hard?” Faith teased, trying to defuse the tension that had filled the car, even though she could still feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. She received nothing from Derek as he continued to stare out of the car window at the empty street. With a sigh, she started the car and headed off in the direction of the Preserve.

_“Baby, you light up my world like nobody else. The way that you flick your hair gets me overwhelmed…”_

Faith cringed slightly as she glanced at her cell on the dash to Derek, who was staring at her with an eyebrow raised. 

“What?” she asked as she mimicked his expression. “It’s my favourite song by the best band ever! I heard Harry likes the older woman so I think I’m in with a chance.” Derek let out a breath in a slight laugh, giving a small shake of his head. “Ok, maybe not,” Faith relented giving Derek a small smile. “Stiles uses this song to express his man pain and I’ve decided to take advantage of that for funsies.”

Derek’s chance to respond was interrupted by Faith’s cell ringing again. She answered, hitting the speakerphone.

“Faith’s taxi cabs. Where we aim to pick you up before the cops do!” Faith sang. She smiled as she caught Derek’s grin in the car window.

“You think you’re funny but you’re not,” Stiles voice echoed through the car. “Where are you?

”Did she get Derek?” Faith could hear Scott ask in the background.

“You doubted me?” Faith kidded but she could hear the worry from both boys.

“Of course not,” Stiles said warily, “We were just worried, you know?”

“I wanted to make sure we weren’t followed but we’re on our way now. You two ok?” She asked.

Scott shouted that they were fine but was interrupted by Stiles. “I just love to hang around here in the dark with a psychotic Alpha werewolf on the loose. Yep, we’re totally ok. In fact, the only thing that could make it better would be the Alpha actually showing up … annnnnd now that I’ve said it aloud it’s totally going to happen, isn’t it? He’s is going to come out of nowhere and bite down on my ass, well, not my ass or maybe my ass… Faith, please don’t let him bite me… I kinda like my ass.” There was a pause as she listened as Stiles and Scott argued in the background about how Stiles had just jinxed them both.

Faith heard Derek scoff and roll his eyes at Stiles’ rambling which had her smiling.

“I think I actually heard Derek roll his eyes down the phone,” Stiles said “Is he being facetious or does he genuinely have concern for my well-being? Don’t answer that, now _I’m_ being facetious.”

Faith laughed as Derek glared at her cell.

“He’s glaring now, isn’t he?” he asked with a slight hint of fear. “And I think I just heard the first growl.”

Faith laughed harder. “Yeah, and if you don’t want him to bite you then I’d quit while you’re ahead… We’ll be there soon.”

They said their goodbyes and Faith hung up with a shake of her head.

Derek and Faith drove in silence until Faith couldn’t stand it any longer and turned on the radio. She mentally winced when the sounds of Boston filled the car.

_‘It’s more than a feeling…more than a feeling…’_

Derek let out an audible huff of his displeasure to the song and the general silence being interrupted.

“You know, a friend of mine has a saying that goes very well with this situation. It goes something like this – driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole. Got anything to say?” Faith asked. She received nothing from the broody werewolf except stony silence. “Good.”

***

Faith parked her car beside the Camaro and got out as Derek waited in the passenger seat when her cell went off again with Stiles’ new ringtone. She grinned when she heard a groan coming from the dark.

“Like it?” She called out, allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkness surrounding them and hiding her cousin from view. “I think it fits you perfectly.”

She watched as Stiles and Scott emerged from the darkness in front of them; the headlights illuminating them both. She turned her attention to Derek as he emerged from the car, walking toward Scott.

Stiles stopped as he stood opposite Faith with only the car door between them. “I take it back about me being proud you’re family,” he stated. “It’s still on. I haven’t forgotten.”

Faith’s grin widened as she leant forward to bring her face closer to his. “I don’t need to be a werewolf to know you are a lying liar who lies,” she said. “You’ll never get me lil’ cuz so give it up, she teased, rubbing the top of his head.

Stiles pulled away from her sharply, harrumphing as he folded his arms and walked away to stand beside Scott.

Faith chuckled and took a step back, closing the car door, to then lean against it as she watched Derek and Scott argue. Stiles, as ever, was caught in the middle trying to calm both parties down.

“What part of laying low don’t you understand?” Scott shouted at Derek.

“Dammit, I had him!” Derek yelled back as he brought his fist down onto the picnic table. An audible snap was heard as the table collapsed in on itself. All eyes fell on Faith as she let out a snort of laughter.

“The Alpha?” Stiles asked.

“Yeah! He was right in front of me, and then the friggin’ police show up,” Derek growled in frustration.

“Whoa, hey, they were just doing their job,” Stiles argued, attempting to stand up for his dad. He took a step back as Derek glared at him.

“Yeah, thanks to someone who decided to make me the most wanted fugitive in the entire state,” Derek scowled at Scott over Stiles’ shoulder.

“Better than the entire country,” Faith commented quietly. She gave a small shrug at the three questioning looks she received, “Never mind.” It was definitely not the time to bring up the past.

“Can we seriously get past that?” Scott shouted, raising his arms up in frustration. “I made a dumbass mistake, I get it.”

“Yeah, you did,” Faith nodded at him.

“Really?” Stiles asked, rounding on her. “You aren’t helping,” he pointed out before turning back to face Derek. “How did you find him?”

After a moment of silence, Scott asked, clearly irritated, “Can you try and trust us for at least half a second?”

“Yeah, both of us,” Stiles jumped in, coming to stand beside Scott but promptly fell back under the threatening look from Derek. “Or just him,” he nodded to Scott. As Derek continued to glare at him, he pointed to Faith while talking steps towards her. “I’ll be over there.”

Derek watched intently as Stiles took a seat beside Faith before taking a calming breath to speak to Scott. “Look, the last time I talked to my sister she was close to figuring something out. She found two things. The first was a guy name Harris.”

“Our Chemistry teacher?” Stiles butted in. Faith slapped the back of his head as Scott sighed, while Derek glared at him again.

“Why him?” Scott asked, bringing Derek’s attention, and anger, away from Stiles and back to the issue.

Derek shook his head. “I don’t know yet.”

“What’s the second?”

Derek pulled a piece of paper from the inside of his leather jacket, showing Scott. “Some kind of symbol.” Scott took the paper and groaned. “What? You know what this is?” Derek asked.

Faith stood up and walked towards Scott, taking the paper out of his hands to inspect the drawing. She could make out what was obviously supposed to be a wolf in the middle of shield. She knew what it was immediately as it had been on some of the files that Dawn had sent her when she first started investigating the Argent family; she just didn’t know how to let Derek know that it was the Argent family symbol without giving away how much she truly knew.

“It looks like a crest or a coat of arms,” Faith said, handing the paper back to Derek, avoiding eye contact but she could feel his questioning gaze on her. 

“I’ve seen it on a necklace,” Scott broke in, “Allison’s necklace.”

“Great!” Stiles piped up, coming forward. “So, now what?”

Faith looked to Scott. “Kid, you’re gonna have to get it.”

“How? If you haven’t noticed, she’s not talking to me right now,” Scott said, his puppy dog eyes giving away how much he hated the situation between him and Allison.

“There’s always the easier way of just stealing it,” Faith offered. She received three looks of disbelief. “What? You think she’s just going to hand it over with no explanation as to why? Or are we going to tell her the truth?” She didn’t wait for a response before continuing, “It’s the only logical thing to do. Besides, the only person who can do it is you kid. Stiles is to stealth as Derek is to using words.” She ignored the glares from both Stiles and Derek. “Also, she doesn’t know me and don’t you think it would freak her out if Stiles’ cousin came out of nowhere asking about her necklace?”

“She’s got a point,” Derek said.

“Yeah, you really need to start using your words more,” Stiles retorted. He received a scowl from Derek and another head slap from Faith. “Ow!" he yelped, rubbing the back of his head. "You keep doing that and it’s going to cause damage, even if you are holding back.”

“You’re lucky I am and how would you be any different to how you are now?” Faith laughed as Stiles stuck his tongue out at her.

“Are we finished?” Derek interrupted them.

“Are you asking or telling?” Stiles remarked snidely. “Do you need to get back to your lair?”

“No because he’s staying with us,” Faith stated. She gulped as her words sank in; she really hadn’t meant to say that. She refused to look at Derek and kept her gaze on Stiles, who looked to be catching flies, his mouth hanging open in shock.

“I did not and will not agree to that,” he protested. “There isn’t even an alternate universe me who would agree either.”

“Think about it Stiles. The police are looking for him, in fact, as he pointed out, the entire state is after him and the only safe place in this town is the Sheriff’s house,” she tried to reason. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

“What makes you think I’ll agree?” Derek cut in, his arms crossed.

“What makes you think I’m giving you a choice?” Faith countered. “The way I see it Hale, you need me.”

Derek’s eyes widened for a second before he frowned, letting out a huff.

Stiles watched intently as his cousin and Derek argued and waited for Derek to get angry and lash out but surprisingly the angry werewolf backed down at Faith’s words and gave her a small nod. Stiles had no idea what it was that Faith did but he knew he was going to beg her to teach him later on.

“Fine!” Stiles shouted while raising his arms in the air in defeat. “But you are feeding and walking him,” he commanded, pointing a finger at her and walked away to stand beside Scott as he ignored Derek’s warning growl behind him.

Faith let out a breath and clasped her hands together. “Good, that’s settled then. Scott, take the Camaro back to where you found it. _Exactly_ where you found it and Stiles, go with him and you…,” she ordered, watching Derek, “are coming with me.”

Derek let out a sigh as he walked towards the trunk of the Camaro.

“You sure you’re going to be alright?” Scott asked worriedly as he eyed Derek pulling a duffle out of the trunk.

“Five by five,” Faith replied, giving a quick look over her shoulder at Derek.

“I have no idea what that means,” Scott said.

“It means you get in the car and do as I tell you,” she placated him, resting her hands on his shoulders. “Now, watch yourselves and make sure you don’t get caught.” She walked Scott and Stiles to the Camaro. They got in, albeit reluctantly, given the looks she was receiving from them both. She watched them leave; not moving until she couldn’t make out the taillights in the dark and made her way towards her own car and a patiently waiting Derek.

“Ready?” She asked, grinning as she got in the car.

Derek glared and got in; his duffle already thrown in the back seat.

_Wow, this is going to be interesting._

***

Stiles returned home to find Faith in the kitchen, sitting at her favourite spot, looking relaxed in sweats as though there wasn’t a scary ass werewolf in the house. He looked around for Derek but couldn’t find the sour wolf anywhere.

“He’s upstairs, shower, I think,” Faith answered Stiles unasked question. “Everything go well with you and Scott?”

Stiles nodded, trying not to show how much Faith just saying that Derek was having a shower in his house wasn’t freaking him out. It was all too… normal. Normal shouldn’t be werewolves, slayers and Alphas running around killing people but it seemed that this was his life now and yet he was having more of a hard time accepting just how easy he had accepted it all. He really needed a vacation.

“You ok? You’re all twitchy and it isn’t Adderall related,” Faith asked as she jumped down from the countertop.

Stiles shook his head. “Nope. No problems from me. No sir. It’s not like there’s a werewolf in my house, upstairs taking a shower and you are down here like this isn’t the weirdest thing to happen ever,” he babbled, leaning back against the doorframe for support.

“As opposed to Scott…?” Faith argued, her arms crossing defensively.

“Not the same thing and you know it!” He shouted as he angrily pointed a finger at her.

“Can you just trust that I know what I’m doing? Do you think I’d even let him past the door if I wasn’t a hundred percent sure?” Faith didn’t mention that she may have, in her nervousness, invited Derek into the house as though she suspected he was a vampire. She could’ve sworn she heard Buffy laughing all the way in Rome and Dawn in Cleveland while she had given herself a mental facepalm. She had argued with herself that it was just habit and she did it with everyone, regardless of who they are.

“You trust him?” Stiles sneered. “We are talking about Derek Hale here. The werewolf with serious anger issues that rival the Hulk!”

“I didn’t say I trusted him. I just… know him,” Faith attempted to explain as Stiles scoffed at her. “Look kiddo, I know Derek won’t hurt me and I know he needs us as much as we need him.”

“We do not need…,” Stiles started to protest.

“Yes, we do and you know it,” Faith cut him off. “You want to take on an Alpha alone, then go ahead, be my guest, or need I remind you the state I was in the first time I went up against him? And I’ll point out now that Derek was the one who brought me home. He saved me. You said so yourself.”

“That’s not fair,” Stiles pouted. He had remembered most of what he had said the night he had returned home drunk, including having to be carried upstairs by Faith. As embarrassing as it was, he knew he hadn’t said anything that wasn’t true.

“You aren’t being fair. Ok, so he’s not going to win Mr Congeniality anytime in this century but he’s been fine since he got here.” Silent and broody as always but he didn’t look like he was going to leave so Faith counted it as a win.

“I’m not changing my mind about this.”

Faith nodded, uncrossing her arms. “Duly noted.”

“So, where’s he sleeping? And don’t say my room.” He could handle Derek in his house but he drew the line at him sleeping in his room.

“My room,” Faith answered. “It’s the safest place and he can sleep on the floor near the window. It’s an easy escape if anything happens and he’s hidden by the bed if Uncle Stan decides to check in.”

Stiles’ silence spoke volumes as he just stared at Faith in shock. Derek in the same room as Faith was worse than Derek in his room. He suspected Faith was trying to give him a heart attack.

“What if something happens? What if…? What if there’s… and something goes …?” He sputtered. “I don’t like this. I just want it known that I hate this idea more than any other idea you’ve had… including the one at the school!”

“It’s my…”

“This is not your job! Don’t use that as an excuse,” he yelled.

Faith sighed, letting her head fall into her hands, her elbows perched on the breakfast bar. She understood where Stiles was coming from but she was tired and really wasn’t up to fighting with him. She knew he’d have reservations but he was being over dramatic about nothing and it was frustrating. She couldn’t explain that she felt better knowing that Derek was at least safe and no longer had to worry, not that she’d admit it out loud, about where he was staying or if anything would happen and she wouldn’t find out until it was too late.

“I’m going to bed,” she said, standing upright to face Stiles. “I’m done arguing about this.”

Walking past Stiles and trying hard to ignore the hurt look he gave her, she made her way upstairs towards her bedroom. She opened the door to find the room occupied with a comfortably dressed and freshly showered Derek Hale, sitting on the floor underneath her window. Faith took a moment to take in the scene before her and how odd it truly was. Derek didn’t look so angry, almost peaceful and it gave away how young was; his cold, hard act had him looking older than Faith knew him to be.

“Hey.” She gave him a small smile as she stepped into the room, shutting the door behind her.

Derek, who had his eyes closed, opened them to watch her sit down on her bed and lean against the headboard. “You were fighting with Stiles.”

“Eavesdropping is rude and you should know better,” Faith admonished.

“I’m not known for being nice,” Derek exclaimed. “You don’t like fighting with him.”

Before Faith could respond she heard Stiles walking upstairs with slow heavy footsteps and making his way into his room, closing the door with a soft click.

“No, I don’t,” she said softly. “I fight enough as it is and I’m pretty sure I’m done for my next five lifetimes. It just feels… wrong. I’m not used to this family thing.” She looked to Derek who had his eyebrow cocked in question. “I haven’t been around for a while, a really long while.”

“You stayed away.”

“The alternative would have been much worse, believe me. It was for their protection more than anything and they wouldn’t have been able to deal with… things. After a while it was easier to just forget I had family and let them forget about me,” Faith sighed.

“And now _things_ have changed.”

“Do you ever actually ask questions?” She asked as Derek shrugged in response. “Well, to answer even if you didn’t ask, no. Let’s just say things are more manageable than before and I have friends who like to meddle. So, here I am.”

“Here you are. What a life you must lead.”

Derek looked behind Faith to her open laptop and the screensaver, slide-showing numerous photographs; Faith followed his gaze and smiled. Amongst them were pictures of her with Dawn in Scotland and Paris, images of her and Buffy strolling through the sights and ruins in Rome and then onto pictures of her with Vi and Dawn in Cleveland. She was pretty sure there were a few of her and Xander in Africa but it had been a long while since she’d paid any real attention to her screensaver; a life that now felt so very far away. To anyone else looking at them it looked as though Faith was vacationing with friends but what they didn’t see was the apocalypse that had started in Paris that had had her in the infirmary for a week, to the vampires in Rome that had wanted to challenge the oldest living Slayers on record; Buffy had retired after _that_ debacle. Pictures were deceiving, none more so than her own.

“It’s not as exciting as you think,” Faith said as her eyes shifted away from the photograph of her and a few minis and down to her own hands. Two of the girls in the photograph were now deceased but she liked to remember them as they had been, as they were in those photos, rather than… well, now.

“You never said what you do.” Derek narrowed his eyes as he watched Faith fidget uncomfortably.

“No, I didn’t,” she coughed. “Seeing as you actually asked, I teach.” Derek snorted to which Faith looked up grinning; her previous thoughts now pushed away. “It’s _true_. I teach self-defence at a girl’s school in Cleveland. It’s pretty boring.”

“And in your boredom you get involved with this type of stuff, Miss Stilinski?”

“Miss Lehane,” Faith offered. “I’m not a Stilinski. I’m from Stiles’ mom’s side of the family and boredom tends to mean that I’m not involved with this type of stuff. Boredom is a good thing.”

“Faith Lehane,” Derek said, leaning his head back against the wall again. “Suits you more than Stilinski.”

“That’s me,” Faith stated. “Do you know enough now or do I have to talk about my teenage years next? I’ll tell you, it wasn’t pretty.”

“They tend not to be,” Derek muttered.

Silence filled the room as Faith contemplated what Derek had said. She knew that her teenage years weren’t something she could be proud of but Derek’s would have been awful. Losing your entire family like that isn’t something she would wish on anyone and she could clearly see how much it still affected him and now with his sister gone, she could clearly see the loneliness was slowly eating away at him. The sad thing, Derek was allowing it to happen. Faith knew she had a lot in common with the werewolf, but she hadn’t really known how much until then. She may not have lost her entire family but she had lost something once – herself and even now she was still fighting to get some semblance of it back; all the while knowing if she never truly would. She could relate to the loneliness and helplessness he felt.

“Would you have come back if not for Laura?” Faith asked finally.

“Would you, if your friend hadn’t meddled?” Derek countered as he lay down on the makeshift bed he had created from the blankets and pillows Faith had left him earlier.

“Probably not but that’s fear for you,” Faith answered honestly. She got herself under the duvet, lying back against the soft pillows to stare at the ceiling. “And guilt.”

“What do you know of fear and guilt?”

Faith breathed deeply as she contemplated her next words, ignoring the accusing tone from Derek. She had an uncontrollable urge to just tell him everything, let it all out and bare her soul. It hadn’t gone unnoticed that she had never lied to Derek and that all those half-truths she had told were no longer going to cut it.

“Story time is over for tonight, I think,” she said as she leant over to turn off the light. She glanced down to see Derek watching her intently, his head resting on his arm as he stared up at her. “Night, Hale.”

“Lehane,” Derek replied, closing his eyes as the light went out. Faith lay back down, turning on her side, her back to the door and her face towards the window. It struck her that she didn’t feel weird about having Derek in her room as she thought she would. Her nervousness had long gone and been replaced with a sense of calm and peace that she welcomed like a warm blanket. She felt safe.

Faith let a small smile play her lips as she let that knowledge pull her into sleep.

***

When Faith woke hours later, it wasn’t to Stiles’ ringtone, or even her uncle getting up for work, which she was becoming used to but rather sharp, fast breaths and small whines. She let her eyes adjust a moment before turning to look down to where Derek was now writhing in his sleep; the blankets were haphazard and trapped under him, his pillow looked to be soaked. Upon closer inspection, she could see damp patches on his t-shirt and sheen on his body from sweat.

Without a second thought, Faith quietly slid her body out of bed and lay down beside him, making sure to keep her movements slow as not to wake him. She really didn’t know what he would do if she woke him out of what looked to be a pretty intense nightmare but she couldn’t take the chance that he wouldn’t shift. The fact he hadn’t even felt her move beside him gave testament that he was deeply enthralled in whatever was going on in his head.

She froze, her breath caught in her throat as he turned to face her, their bodies now facing each other. She watched as he shivered, his arms wrapped tightly around himself as protection from whatever he could see in his mind. Faith knew she couldn’t reach the blankets at his feet or under him without getting up, so instead pulled a cover down from her bed and placed it gently over the both of them.

Faith carefully pulled Derek’s arms from around himself, slotting their hands together and pulling herself closer to him. She rested her forehead against his, ignoring the dampness in favour of trying to calm down his rapidly paced heartbeat.

“Shh… it’s okay… you’re safe,” she whispered soothingly as she lightly squeezed his fingers. She didn’t know if he was aware of her presence, but she kept whispering words of comfort as he continued to shake and whimper. The sound cut her deep as she didn’t like how defenceless he sounded or how helpless it made her feel that she couldn’t help him.

She closed her eyes and allowed her own heartbeat to calm; she didn’t know what to do but she couldn’t leave him like this. She decided to take a leaf out of Stiles’ book and talk.

“Derek, it’s Faith. You’re safe and nothing’s going to happen, I promise. Listen to me, please,” she pleaded softly, her grip on his fingers tightening again. “It isn’t real. Whatever you hear, whatever you see isn’t real. You hear me? It’s. Not. Real.” She pulled back slightly to brush her lips against Derek’s cheek, murmuring, “You’re here… safe… with me.”

She softly placed a kiss on his head. It was nothing more than lips on skin but Faith tried to put as much comfort and reassurance as she could into it and hoped that Derek could at least feel it and know she was there. She began to pull back again but stilled as Derek growled low in the back of his throat. She let out a slow breath as he gently pulled her forward into his embrace, his face tucked deep at the join of her neck and collarbone. He pulled his hand from Faith and encircled his arm around her to pull her in and keep her tight against him; his fingers skirting along the base of her spine where her vest top had ridden up. She could feel him breath deep, taking her scent in and breathing out slowly, his warm breath hitting her neck as his fingers continued to stroke her bare skin. Not long after, his breathing calmed and the shivering stopped as Derek stayed wrapped around Faith.

Faith kept a hold of Derek’s hand, while her other hand was placed over his heart; the beating having slowed considerably. She stayed awake a while longer to make sure that he wasn’t going to have another episode, allowing herself to relax in his arms. She finally succumbed, letting the light touches from his fingers on her back, the heat from his body and his own earthy scent to lull her into a deep sleep.


	12. L is for Leverage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** BtVS and Teen Wolf are owned by their creators, Jeff Davies and Joss Whedon. This is for entertainment purposes only. I sadly own nothing.   
>  Some dialogue taken from Teen Wolf episode, Wolfsbane.   
> **A/N:** I'm not dead! I'm back and I'm writing. I was away for a while as I was moving home and if any of you have then you know how stressful it can be but I'm now settled and can get back to doing what I love. A huge thank you for those of you who have stuck with me and are still loving this fic and you awesome reviewers.   
>  Just a small note to say that this fic takes place entirely in Teen Wolf season 1 and will only feature the information that you find out in season 1 and not in season 2 or 3A. I know some things have come to light in the coming seasons but they won't be referenced in this fic. 
> 
> Thanks again to Noturbaby for the beta.

**Chapter 12: L is for Leverage**

Faith woke the next morning to knocking at her bedroom door and in her own bed. She raised herself up in bed in confusion as she could quite clearly remember falling asleep on the floor beside Derek. When she took a look around the room she could see it was devoid of all evidence that Derek had even been there.

Her uncle’s voice came from outside the door, “Faith, you up?”

“Uh yeah, just a minute,” she replied as her eyes scanned the room once more. It crossed her mind that last night had all been a dream until she saw that her bedroom window was wide open, where it had been closed before she had went to bed.

She quickly got out of bed and opened her door to find her uncle waiting patiently for her, dressed in his Sheriff’s uniform.

“Did you just get in?” She asked accusingly.

Her uncle looked down to the hall to Stiles’ open bedroom door and then back to Faith. “I’m pretty sure I knocked on my niece’s door and not Stiles’… but yes I did and yes I am going to bed. Seeing as we are confessing sins, I ate bacon and eggs this morning and thoroughly enjoyed every unhealthy bite,” her uncle exclaimed, his arms crossing as Faith cocked an eyebrow at him. “Don’t judge me. I was up all night.”

Faith raised a placating hand. “It’s not me you have to explain yourself to,” she said as she leant against her door.

“Contrary to popular belief, I am the adult around here and I can eat whatever I want… despite what my son thinks.”

“You keep telling yourself that… as he makes you eat vegetables and tofu for the next week,” Faith smiled. She could see the look of horror pass over her uncle’s face as he contemplated her words. “You’re secret’s safe with me old man,” she said as her uncle let out a breath of relief. “What’s up or did you just want to confess to your unhealthy eating sins?”

“I figured you’d be finished your run but by the looks of things, you just woke up,” he said, peering over Faith’s shoulder to see her unmade bed. “I was confirming that you were coming to Stiles’ game tonight?”

Faith had completely forgotten about Stiles’ Lacrosse game that night with everything that had been going on. She remembered how excited he had been when he had explained that due to a pink eye epidemic the coach had made him first line. Scott had also been made co-captain, along with Jackson, who didn’t seem to be taking it very well. Either way, both boys had been ecstatic about the turn of events.

She could see how proud her Uncle was of Stiles and how much he was looking forward to the game. Even though Faith had no idea about the game, she could still cheer along with the best of them.

Faith nodded. “Of course I’ll be there. I wouldn’t miss it.”

“Great! I’ll be meeting you there as I have some work to do before then but right now bed is calling me.” Her uncle walked away down towards his own room. “Oh, Stiles is downstairs having breakfast. Whatever you two fought about, I don’t want to know. Just fix it,” he stated, closing the door behind him.

Faith stared open mouthed at the closed door for a moment. She knew Stiles would never have told his dad anything about last night or why they fought in the first place, so how did he know? It had to be a Sheriff thing. Then again, it could be a Stilinski thing. Either way, it was disconcerting.

With a shake of her head, Faith made her way downstairs and into the kitchen to talk to Stiles. She found him eating breakfast whilst staring out of the window.

“It’s weird fighting with you. I don’t like it,” she said as she hopped up onto the counter. She glanced to her left to see a bowl, a spoon and her favourite cereal waiting for her. “For me?” she asked.

Stiles nodded, placing his own bowl into the sink before turning to lean against the refrigerator to face Faith. “Yeah,” he coughed. “I don’t like it either. Dad says I have to fix it.”

“He said the same to me,” she said with a smile. “How do I do that? Sitting on you is getting old but I will if I have to.” She let out a breath at Stiles smirk. “I’m not used to all this, to you and Uncle Stan and this whole family deal. I know I should have asked you before saying Derek would be staying but it kind of popped out and I hadn’t really thought it through. You have to believe that I would never intentionally put you or your dad in danger.”

“I know,” Stiles whispered, rubbing his hand through his buzz cut. “Where is Derek?”

“I have no idea.” Faith shrugged as Stiles looked up at her. “He was gone when I woke.” She didn’t mention what had happened during the night or the fact that she hadn’t fell asleep in her own bed. Stiles had looked as though he had swallowed his own tongue when she had mentioned Derek would be staying in her room. She didn’t think he take the fact they slept together, no matter how innocent, very well.

“Nothing happened last night?”

Faith shook her head. “Nope. We talked and then slept.”

“You talked with Derek, with actual words and sentences? You held a conversation that didn’t turn into him growling or slamming you into something?” Faith cocked her eyebrow as Stiles blushed, realising what he had just said. “I didn’t mean it like that. Not that you would… or he would… it’s just… shutting up now.”

Faith chuckled. “That would be a good idea, kiddo.”

She made her breakfast and ate in silence as Stiles watched her.

“Are we good?” he asked as she took a bite of cereal.

Faith nodded and swallowed. “We’re good.”

Stiles let out an audible breath of relief, sagging against the refrigerator again. “I’m not used to this either,” he said, motioning between them before continuing, “but I like it. It’s just been me and dad for a long time and I figured it would always be that way and then when dad said you had called, well, it was awesome. You came and it didn’t feel so lonely anymore, you know?”

Faith hopped off the counter and pulled Stiles into a hug. She didn’t speak as she didn’t think she could with the lump that was now lodged in her throat. She smiled when Stiles hugged her back.

“You and your dad don’t play fair,” she choked out, pulling out of the hug and taking a step back. “You keep saying stuff like that and I’ll never leave.”

“That’s the plan,” Stiles grinned. “Beacon Hills is no Hellmouth but we have werewolves, hunters and, of course, yours truly. See? You can’t leave.”

Faith playfully rubbed his buzz cut and shook her head. “You’re gonna be late if you don’t get going. I’ll see you later at your game.”

Stiles ducked out from under her ministrations. “Yeah, yeah. I’m going.”

Faith watched as Stiles left the house, not before coming back moments later to grab his cell from the kitchen and then head back out with a final wave. She made her way back to her breakfast and her favourite spot, happy in the knowledge that she and Stiles were back to normal.

A while later she stood in her room, hands her on her hips, trying to figure out where the hell Derek had disappeared off to. She knew he would come back as she’d found his duffle bag under her bed, hidden by the blankets that he had slept on; folded neatly with the pillow placed on top. Her fingers had itched to open it and take a look but had decided against it at the last minute. She had trusted him enough to be alone in her room and he hadn’t touched anything, so she would give him the same courtesy, even it did take everything she had to leave it be.

It had crossed her mind on several occasions while she had been searching as to what Derek had thought when he woke that morning. She hadn’t felt him move her but she didn’t know whether to take it as a bad or as a good thing that he had moved her back to her own bed. Had he done it during the night or did he do it before he left? She hadn’t felt him move her, which was strange as she usually slept quite light but he had been warm and it had been nice falling asleep in his arms. It had been one of the best night’s sleeps she’d had in a long time and had been disappointed to wake alone.

Faith sat on the edge of her bed and let her head fall into her hands.

“I’m screwed,” she said aloud. “Dawn and B are gonna have a field day with this one.”

It had been coming for a while but she could finally admit that she may have more than just ‘feelings’ for Derek Hale. The stupid werewolf had wedged himself a place under her skin and it didn’t look like he was leaving anytime soon. Faith could admit that she didn’t want him to either. Last night had opened her eyes to how much she cared about him and that it was definitely something more than she first thought.

She couldn’t really put words to her feelings, and considering her past dalliances she couldn’t say it was love. She wasn’t the girl who had one of those epic love stories like Buffy and Angel, or even just the happily ever after like Kennedy and Willow. Then again, she’d never been in love so if she were, how would she know? All she knew was that the mere thought of something happening to Derek had her feeling sick to her stomach. She had figured out early on that she couldn’t lie to him and seemed to have the compulsion to be honest whenever they spoke.

Faith knew she had lied to Stiles the night before about trusting Derek. She trusted him not to hurt her after she had seen his reaction in the car the night before; his guilt had been more than evident as he’d inspected her bruised wrists. It looked as though it pained him to see that he had caused her harm. She wondered if he’d even noticed they were no longer there.

It just didn’t help that he had no clue she was a Slayer. How would he react? Did he even know about Slayers?

She knew that everything she was allowing to go through her mind was nothing but conjecture. She had no idea about Derek, other than what she had read or even how he felt about her. The wolf was closed up tighter than Fort Knox and last night had been the first time she had seen him show any emotion other than anger, disapproval or annoyance.

Could he _feel_ anything else? She hadn’t forgotten his reaction when she had mentioned guilt and fear. She knew there was more to his story and her instincts were telling her that it had something to do with Kate Argent. She had suspected it ever since she’d seen them interact at the Hale house.

She didn’t even want to think about how Derek would react to her past. Finding out she’s a Slayer is going to be a cake walk compared to him finding out she killed people, went insane and finally ended up in jail to face up to the consequences of her actions. She didn’t think he’d stay to listen that she found redemption and was trying her best to make things right. She wasn’t looking for forgiveness, or had even asked for it. All she wanted was a chance to prove she wasn’t that girl anymore.

Yep, she was screwed.

***

It had taken an exceptionally long run and a hot shower before Faith felt as though she could deal with everything again after her realisation that she couldn’t push the Derek situation away anymore and ignore it. Damn Stiles and his stupid logic. She should have known it wouldn’t have worked.

When she had went to make lunch, she had found the note from her uncle in the kitchen with a final reminder of the time of Stiles’ game and that he was glad she and Stiles were no longer fighting. She was placing her extra sandwiches in the refrigerator when she heard Dawn’s ringtone coming from her bedroom. She ran upstairs and caught it before the ringing stopped.

“Tell me there’s an apocalypse and I have to be there, or I’m hanging up,” she smiled down the phone. She sat on her bed, making herself comfortable against the headboard.

“You should be so lucky,” Dawn laughed. “Sadly, I call with bad news and it’s no apocalypse. The cure is a no go I’m afraid. I asked around and I read everything, and I mean everything that we had here and after talking to Oz again, by the way he really wants to talk to you about the wolves you are running with, I’ve realised the only cure is death. I take it that isn’t an option?” She teased.

“Unless it’s for the Alpha,” Faith sighed. “I knew it was a long shot but I had hoped.”

“Yeah, I know and it sucks. He sounds like a nice kid.”

Faith nodded but stopped as she realised Dawn couldn’t see her. “He is, a little slow on the uptake about things and easily distracted but a nice kid.  
What else have you got for me?” She asked with apprehension.

“Did you know that there have been no unexplained deaths there… like ever? Until recently that is,” Dawn pointed out. “And by unexplained, I mean, our kind of unexplained.”

Faith frowned. “That’s weird,” she said.

“Not really if you think about it. You said that you have found no signs of vamp or demon activity and up until six years ago the only supernatural beings there were a family of werewolves. Now, I decided to get Andrew to help me on this one and he found out that the Hales have been there since before Beacon Hills ever existed.” Dawn paused. Faith could hear the rustle of papers in the background. She could picture Dawn at her desk littered with an endless array of coffee cups, books and possibly her laptop buried underneath it all. There would be packets of red vines there too; some empty and some half full and no one would even have thought to touch them. You only touched Dawn’s candy once and then you never did it again. She smiled at the memory. “Anyway,” Dawn continued, “we have a theory that the reason Beacon Hills is pretty much vamp and demon free is because of them. Wolves are territorial by nature and werewolves would be no exception and I don’t see those sharing Beacon Hills with anyone other than humans. Also, by our evidence, the Hales were a peaceful and unassuming pack. Well respected by other packs too. They kept to themselves most of the time, that is, until the fire happened.”

“The fire was an accident,” Faith stated.

“The police, fire and insurance reports all support that theory too,” Dawn said. Faith could just tell from Dawn’s tone that she had more to say on that subject.

“You don’t?” Faith pushed.

Dawn sighed. “Something doesn’t sit right with me after reading the reports,” She confessed. “The family were found in the basement after the fire was put out and yet there was no evidence that they tried to find a way out. This is a family almost exclusively populated by werewolves, who are strong and can pretty much fight through anything, why wouldn’t they try to escape? Which got me thinking, what if their basement was designed as such to keep them in, you know, like a panic room or something? If someone knew about it then they could use it to trap them all in and…”

“Set it alight.” Faith finished. She really didn’t like where Dawn was going with all this.

“Exactly!” Dawn agreed enthusiastically. “Then there’s the reports themselves. The police report is pretty self-explanatory, nothing suspicious but the insurance report is too clean. You’d never think to question it. Hell, even the fire department put down that it was possible arson. There’s no concrete evidence to prove it was but…,” she trailed off.

“Then why are you questioning it?” She asked.

“Because you made me look into this and I got curious,” Dawn replied. “Call me paranoid but an accident doesn’t take out a family of werewolves. This has got cover up written all over it and I think your Alpha problem is connected to the Hale fire. I’m not certain but all the evidence we have uncovered so far kind of points to it.”

Faith felt the tell-tale signs of a headache forming. She seemed to be getting them more and more nowadays. She rubbed her temple in slow circles. “You think the Alpha is going after people he thinks are may be, or were involved?”

“Could be, which explains why all the murders are seemingly random. I need to do more research into the victims as this is all circumstantial at best but we may have something. It may also mean that the Alpha could have had something to do with the fire or been the one to do it and is covering their tracks.”

“D, just keep this between you, me and Andrew for the time being. If you are right then we need to find out who is next on his hit list.”

“Of course,” Dawn agreed, “but what you have to ask yourself is - who would want the Hales dead? They caused no trouble and were pretty much a normal pack. Hunters would have no need as they didn’t break their stupid code and everyone just pretty much left them alone.”

“Could it have been a rival pack?” Faith queried.

“Nah, the kill was too clean for another pack to have done it and they would have moved in afterwards. This seems thought out and planned,” Dawn explained. “I originally thought ‘inside job’ but nobody gained anything from the Hale family dying so that’s a no go.”

Faith’s breath caught in her throat. She didn’t even want to think how someone could even think about killing their entire family. Even when she had been at her worst, it had never crossed her mind to go after her Aunt Stella, Uncle Stan and Stiles.

“Do you think that’s why Laura was killed, because she was looking into the fire? Would the Alpha go after Derek too?” Faith asked hesitantly.

“I have no idea. It definitely sounds plausible. I mean, the Chemistry teacher, Harris, nearly became Alpha chow and he’d met with Laura about the fire before she died, but Derek? I don’t know. Maybe the more he asks questions and looks for the Alpha then the more danger he’s in.”

Faith sighed. “Thanks D. Just keep me informed if you find out anything further.”

“Sure, you have me wanting to know what’s going on, and Andrew. I’ll take a serial killer Alpha werewolf over the weekly apocalypse any day. Now, I was going to question you on your ‘meeting’ with Derek but it can wait for now.”

“Nothing happened. It was talking, nothing more,” Faith affirmed.

“And yet you had to do it deep in the woods where no one could see you,” Dawn joked. When she received nothing but silence from Faith she let out a small gasp. “Something else has happened, hasn’t it? Tell me!”

Faith chewed her lip before detailing to Dawn about what had transpired the night before and her realisations earlier. She thanked the Powers that Dawn wasn’t in the room with her at that moment to see how red faced and embarrassed she looked as she confessed her feelings – and without any alcohol in her system.

When she was finished, silence hung on the line from Dawn before Faith received an ear splitting squeal.

Faith pulled the phone away from her ear. “You’re no help! I’m hanging up now.” she shouted, pressing the button to end the call.

She slumped back against the headboard, letting her head hit the wall with a soft thud. She really didn’t like where all the evidence was pointing and if it was true that the Hale family was murdered and the Alpha was now avenging them, then this got a lot more complicated and created more questions.

She figured Derek didn’t know as if he had an idea that there was someone out there who killed his family then he’d have done something about it by now. Although, Laura had come back to Beacon Hills as she had found out something but nobody knew what or if her search had lead her anywhere. They had an Argent family symbol and a high school Chemistry teacher to go on and that didn’t give much.

Faith sighed deeply at her predicament. She could tell Derek her findings and have him siding with the Alpha in helping kill those they thought responsible, or leave it until Dawn had gathered enough evidence and maybe even a few ideas on the Alpha’s next move. If Faith was lucky, maybe even find the identity of either the Alpha, and, or, the Hale family murderer. For now, she was keeping quiet, which meant more lies and more secrets.

There was one thing she knew she had to do and that was to go and investigate the Hale house. She grabbed her jacket before leaving the house; opting to walk rather than drive in case she was caught snooping around by hunters. She knew she could make a faster getaway through the trees if the need arose.

***

Stiles wasn’t having the best day; he could now add being accosted and shoved into a door by a perpetually pissed off werewolf to the list.

First, he finds out from Scott during lunch that Jackson knows Scott’s a werewolf and is using that knowledge to mess with Scott. Stiles didn’t think Jackson could be a bigger prick than he normally proved to be but, surprisingly he’s showing that he was by taunting Scott by using Allison to do it.

When he found out through gossip -not that he ever paid attention to gossip-, that Beacon Hills High most popular couple were no longer together, Stiles had wanted to celebrate. Lydia obviously wasn’t happy about it and had made it known by death glaring anyone that even thought to come near her. Stiles hadn’t really thought about Lydia since learning about her kiss with Scott but he’d been in love with the fiery strawberry blonde since third grade and it was all he had known but he’d be lying if he thought Faith’s words hadn’t stuck with him and buried deep.

There was just one problem; there wasn’t anyone else in Beacon Hills for him. He may not ever have chance with Lydia but it was better than nothing at all. Rejection was something he didn’t think he could handle; Lydia, at least, just flat out ignored him and over the years he’d just learned to deal with it. That being said, he wouldn’t turn down any offers if they happen to arose – he was still a teenage boy after all.

Second, his best friend lucked out on getting the necklace from Allison. Scott had tried but she hadn’t had it on her and Scott suspected it was at her house and would try and retrieve it from there after school. Stiles had opted to go with him but had figured that Scott could probably explain himself way better if he got caught than if he was with Stiles.

Stiles had come home after school to be greeted by Derek Hale, lurking in his bedroom like the creeper he was, and had nearly given Stiles a heart attack. To make matters worse, because this was Stiles and that was his life now, his dad had decided to have a heart to heart about how proud he as of Stiles making first line and that he would be going to the game with Faith that night.

It had made Stiles happy that his dad was finally proud of him, and that he and Faith were going to see him play. He didn’t care if the team won or not but he just hoped he didn’t fuck up in front of his family. Faith may not have a clue what was going on, despite Scott and he explaining it way easier than layman’s terms, but his dad sure did.

After his dad left, Stiles was once again alone with Derek.

“If you say one word…” Derek threatened, pushing Stiles back against the door.

“You mean like, ‘Hey dad, Derek Hale’s in my room, bring your gun’?” Stiles offered sarcastically. “Yeah, that’s right. If we’re harbouring your fugitive ass it’s our house, our rules buddy,” he said smugly, lightly cuffing Derek on the shoulder. “Or, well, her rules.”

Derek conceded nodding his head in agreement, he let Stiles go. Stiles gave him a self-satisfied grin as he made his way as far from the werewolf as he could but couldn’t help flinching as he ducked passed, falling into his desk chair.

“Where is she?” Derek asked.

Stiles frowned. “ _She_ has a name,” he exclaimed, not even trying to hide his resentment from Derek. “No idea. You know, we have these things called phones. You call and ask and she may divulge her location.”

Derek chose to ignore him. “Scott didn’t get the necklace?” he asked, changing the subject.

Stiles grimaced. “Uh, no, he’s still working on it,” he explained, “but there’s something else we can try. The night we were trapped at the school, Scott sent a text to Allison asking him to meet her there.”

Stiles didn’t normally consider himself to be a genius, he left that to Lydia, but after he figured out that he could trace the text that had been sent to Scott’s phone then he at least considered himself brilliant. It had only occurred to him whilst he had been daydreaming in English and had nearly gotten out of his seat to fist pump the air but had resisted the urge because he knew it would probably end up with him in detention.

“So?” Derek shrugged, hands shoved deep in his pockets.

“So, it wasn’t Scott,” Stiles revealed.

“Well, can you find out who sent it?” Derek asked.

Stiles shook his head. “No, not me, but I think I know somebody who can.” He turned to face the laptop on his desk.

“Holy shit!” he exclaimed, clutching his hand to his chest as he stared at the girl on his screen. He could see that her eyes were clamped shut and she was chewing on a red vine.

“Uh, you aren’t Faith,” the girl said, peering open one eye before both opened up wide in surprise. “Hi!” She gave him a small wave. “You must be Stiles.”

Stiles stared at the girl before realisation struck him and he knew who he was talking to. “Dawn?” he asked tentatively. Dawn nodded. “Hi.”

Dawn smiled. “It’s nice to finally meet, well, see you.”

“Same,” Stiles returned her smile. He went to ask her a question, a million questions, but realised that he had Derek behind him. Derek, who had no clue that Faith, was a Slayer, or who Dawn was and was staring at the screen with suspicion. “Faith isn’t here,” he added quickly.

“I figured,” she said, her smile never waning. Her gaze shifted to behind Stiles to Derek, eyes widening in recognition. “Sorry, you have company and I’m popping in unannounced. I’d been speaking to Faith earlier and I didn’t figure on you having the laptop.”

“Do you normally just pop up on screen at any time?” Stiles asked, watching as Dawn popped the last piece of the red candy into her mouth.

Dawn nodded. “Saves time, but it can cause awkward moments. I tend to cover or close my eyes first. The amount of times I’ve came across… never mind. You don’t want to know. The eye covering came in after I caught Andrew dressed as Legolas with a life-size cut-out of Aragorn. He totally ruined the movies for me after that and Doctor Who but that’s a whole different story.”

Stiles grinned as Dawn pulled another red vine from off screen and began chewing on it. “I’ll keep that in mind for the future.”

Dawn continued to shift her gaze from Stiles to Derek. “Well Stiles, I could talk to you all day but you look busy with your um... friend. There is so much I could tell you about Faith. I’ll call later.”

“Me too. Another time?” he asked. He had been itching to talk to Dawn as Faith talked about her and her sister, Buffy, more than anyone else and he deemed that they were the people who would know his cousin the most and may have an insight as to how Faith ended up in a coma for so long. That little mystery was still bugging him.

Dawn smile widened. “Of course,” she said, “Oh and good luck for tonight. Faith told me about your game.”

“Thanks.”

Dawn’s face disappeared from screen leaving the familiar background of Faith’s desktop. Without another word, Stiles closed the laptop and moved it to the other side of his desk. He really didn’t want to use it for what he intended, or let Derek see anything on there. He pulled his own laptop out from under a pile of papers, opening it to reveal his own desktop screen.

“Who was that?” Derek asked from behind Stiles.

Stiles turned in his chair to face him. “A friend,” he answered, keeping his attention on his laptop. He knew that Derek would know if he lied so kept his answer short. “She works with Faith back in Cleveland. She seems nice though.”

Derek stayed silent behind him so Stiles continued perusing his laptop. He had already emailed Danny about meeting at his house for help with his homework but knew that he needed him for something else entirely.

A few moments later Stiles fist pumped the sir, turning in his chair to face Derek. “Yes!”

“What?” Derek asked from where he standing. He hadn’t moved since Dawn had revealed herself earlier.

“He’s coming over,” Stiles said. He looked up to find Derek looming over him. “Uh, I’m gonna need your help with this and you aren’t going to like it. I’ve got some leverage but I need something else… some incentive.” Stiles eyes wandered up and down Derek’s body. “You’ll be perfect.”

Derek rolled his eyes. He just knew whatever Stiles was about to come out with wasn’t going to end well for him.

***

Faith cautiously approached the Hale house after walking it’s perimeter a couple of times to make sure that no hunters were around. When finding the coast clear and no hunters or traps surrounding the property, she took tentative steps towards the house. She could clearly see where Derek had buried Laura’s body after he’s found her in the woods; the earth disturbed with obvious signs that there had been a hole dug and refilled. There were tracks from where the hunters had set up to wait for Derek to come back leading all the way to the house and the road.

She stopped at the steps up to the house and peered up at what she deemed was probably once a beautiful house and was now nothing more than charred remains barely holding together. Even if Faith hadn’t known what happened there all those years ago then by just looking at it she would know that something awful had gone on; the entire place projected death, decay and sadness.

She sighed deeply as she carefully ascended the five small steps to the porch and halted at the front door, which looked to have once been red from the worn away paint that still clung to the door.

Giving a quick glance over both shoulders, she pushed the door open wide with nothing more than a light touch. The creaking of the door opening echoed throughout the house and disturbed the silence that had blanketed over the entire area.

“Please don’t be haunted. I don’t think I can handle ghosts on top of werewolves right now,” Faith muttered to herself as she stepped over the threshold and into the foyer. She looked up to find an intact staircase directly in front of her, with archways leading into rooms to her left and right.

Faith could clearly see how much open space there was, with large windows and high ceilings that would have brightened and lit the place up before the fire. They were now boarded up and broken; the only light coming in was from the holes in the ceiling. She took a few more steps forward, finding a blackened rug under her feet before making her way left and into what Faith guessed could have been a living room from the dilapidated couch in the corner. She slowly walked around the room; the only sounds were her boots on the floorboards and her light breaths.

She perused the downstairs for a while, taking in everything she could, trying to imagine what the place would have looked like in all its glory. She couldn’t help the feeling of sadness that seeped into her as if coming from the structure itself. It wasn’t hard to see that the place had been left to ruin after the fire as not much had been touched and it looked as though nothing could have been salvaged. She didn’t even want to think of Derek staying here all this time; amongst the ghosts and memories of his family.

The first time Faith touched anything in the house was when she placed her hand on the rail as she climbed the stairs to the first floor. When she reached the top she could see that the ground floor was in far better condition than the first and could only see a couple of rooms from where she stood but the roof itself was pretty much gone. She turned to go back downstairs but froze as she heard someone walking around the house; their footsteps quiet and unsure as if the person knew they shouldn’t be there.

Faith painstakingly tiptoed along the hallway, making sure to avoid any noisy floorboards that would give away her presence. She caught a glimpse of the intruder from her vantage point, Allison Argent, as she halted at the bottom of the staircase before veering off into the living room. Faith let out a frustrated sigh. She knew that Allison wasn’t stupid and what with Scott’s lies and unanswered questions her curiosity now had her investigating things herself. The stupid girl was lucky that Faith was here and not Derek as she didn’t think he’d appreciate a hunter’s daughter in his old family home. She didn’t think he’d appreciate Faith being there either but it was still better than an Argent.

She could hear Allison below, walking around before stopping and scraping something away. Faith wished she could see more but knew that if she moved anymore then she would alert Allison. When Faith heard nothing for a few moments she wondered what the girl was doing when she saw the shadow at the bottom of the stairs and the familiar figure of Kate Argent walk into her field of vision and head towards where Allison was; the shriek of fright from Allison was evidence that aunt and niece had met.

Faith used the shriek to move around the wall so that she could see into the living room downstairs, keeping as close to the shadows as possible. She wasn’t forgetting for a second that she was in the same house as a hunter. She listened closely to the conversation, taking in Allison’s frustration at wanting to know more about what’s going on and finding more questions than answers to Kate eerily talking about the Hale fire.

“You don’t have to be psychotic to be a killer,” she heard Kate state. “You just need a reason.”

“Like, they’re a family of werewolves and you’re a hunter?” Faith wanted to shout out but stopped herself by biting the inside of her cheek.

Listening to Kate talk about the fire and lying about Derek had her skin crawling, her fists clenching tightly at her sides. She didn’t like the way Kate sounded, almost, wistful as she caressed the scorched, wooden beam beside her. Faith could see the look on her face as she did it and felt her gut clench in horror. She knew that look. Had seen it more than enough times in the mirror every morning during her dark time and even now, when she saw it on someone else it still made her feel sick. The look of someone who had killed innocents and had enjoyed it, revelled in it.

Kate Argent was far more dangerous than Faith had ever realised.

She was pulled from her thoughts as she heard Allison’s voice again.

“I want to feel powerful.”

“Allison,” Faith froze at Kate’s next words. “If you can give me just a little bit of time, be just a little patient. I think I can give you exactly what you want.”

Faith could empathise with Allison but having power wasn’t a quick fix to your problems. She knew first-hand what destruction having power could leave when put into the wrong or inexperienced hands. Allison didn’t need her Aunt’s version of power or the damage she was sure it was going to cause. She hoped the girl was smart enough not be led astray.

She also hoped Scott wasn’t pulled into whatever Kate had planned for Allison. Faith was as protective of him as she was of Stiles and there was no way they were getting near him if they found out he was the beta they were all searching for. She’d go to war before she let that happen and hunters weren’t stupid enough to go up against one slayer, let alone an entire army.

Faith closed her eyes, letting her head fall back against the wall behind her, listening as Kate walked out of the Hale house with Allison not far behind. She breathed deeply, allowing her thoughts and emotions to calm before she contemplated moving because she knew that if she did she’d break something and probably wouldn’t stop until there was nothing left but blood on her knuckles and debris at her feet.

She left the house a while later, taking care to close the door behind her softly.

Her trek home was fraught with worry and anger; she neither needed nor wanted to feel. She had no idea how to help the Allison with her aunt and no idea how to even attempt to explain to anyone how she knew Kate Argent was severely dangerous without having to explain why and thus, opening a can of worms she wasn’t ready for.

She tried to shake the cold feeling that had suddenly seeped into her skin and bones but it intensified with every step she took away from the Hale property and in the direction of home. It was certainly world’s away from the feeling she had when she first arrived.

By the time Faith returned home and entered through the front door, she had decided that she was going to see how things would play out with Allison and have Dawn look even further into Kate Argent. She had allowed her walk home to help rationalise her feelings and get herself in a better head space before she went to Stiles game that night.

Faith paused as she heard voices coming from upstairs. Figuring it was Stiles and Scott, she made her way stairs, taking two steps at a time and headed towards Stiles room.

“So, I may not know the game but you can bet I can shake my pom poms better than any cheerleader!” she shouted, throwing Stiles bedroom door open and stopping dead in her tracks.

***

Stiles has had his fair share of embarrassing moments. He’s a teenager, so it is kind of an inevitability and most have included his dad and one sided conversations on safe sex that Stiles would never ever want to relive but as Faith walked into his room and stopped in the doorway, he would gladly have those conversations every day for the rest of his teenage life, even with the disturbingly graphic pamphlets.

Sadly, the Powers above apparently like to fuck with Stiles and since he hadn’t had any real fuck ups as of late, it was looking like he was due for a big one. Trust it to be the time that Stiles had Derek half naked and stripping in his room with Danny sitting beside him.

There was a section of hell personally reserved for Stiles which he wouldn’t mind visiting earlier than intended.

He could only watch as Faith took in the scene before her. Derek was by his bed, his bare back on show as he pulled another of Stiles’ too small t-shirts on, his scowl present as always. Danny was seated beside Stiles at his desk, staring at Derek and his uncovered body as though he was a living piece of candy. Stiles was in the middle at his desk; the puppet master who orchestrated it all.

Faith, however, didn’t even miss a beat. “Hey, I’m Faith, Stiles’ cousin,” she introduced herself, holding out her hand to Danny, “I thought you were Scott but now I can see you clearly aren’t.”

Stiles had never seen Danny flustered, ever, but now the taller boy was bright red and blushing for the world to see as he stood and shook Faith’s hand. “Danny. It’s nice to meet you.” He sat back down beside Stiles. “Stiles didn’t say he had more cousins staying. Some sort of family reunion?” Danny asked, looking at Stiles.

Stiles stared open mouthed at Danny, unable to make sounds, let alone actual words. He didn’t know how to tell Danny that who he thought was Stiles’ cousin Miguel was actually Derek Hale, the wanted fugitive and supposed murderer. “Uh…,” he started.

Faith cocked her eyebrow at Stiles before finally turning to look at Derek in the corner. Stiles followed her gaze, letting out a breath of relief that Derek had put his shirt back on and was now glaring at the floor.

“Something like that,” Faith interrupted, grinning. She pointed to Derek whilst making her way over to him. “He kinda belongs to me. So… I’ll just take him downstairs.” She grabbed Derek’s hand as he looked up in shock at Faith, allowing himself to be pulled forward and toward the bedroom door. “We’ll leave you two to do…?”

“Homework,” Stiles interrupted, nodding. He looked to Danny who nodded along in agreement.

Faith smiled. “Right… homework.” She led Derek out the door first. She watched him walk downstairs before grabbing the door handle and slowly pulling the door shut. “Oh and Stiles…,” she begun, “You and I will talk about this later.” She watched as her cousin suddenly turned pale, shrinking into the chair a little. “And Danny…?” Danny looked at her silently, however she smiled coyly, a smile he returned. “You should know better.” She winked and closed the door behind her with a click.

Stiles and Danny sit in silence a few moments, listening to Faith walk downstairs and into the kitchen.

“You are a horrible person,” Danny stated finally.

“I know,” Stiles agreed, his head falling into his hands.

“Like, really horrible,” Danny clarified further.

“I _know_ ,” Stiles moaned.

“It makes sense though,” Danny said, pulling his jacket off, placing it on the back of his chair.

“I… what?” Stiles looked up at Danny in confusion. “What does?”

“Them,” Danny said, motioning to the bedroom door, “How long have they been together?”

Stiles looked to the door and back to Danny. “What?!” He was unable to properly process what Danny had asked. “They’re not!... I mean they… it’s not… Faith doesn’t…,” Stiles stammered. “Do you really think?” He looked from his bedroom door, eyes widening before falling back on Danny. “Really?”

Danny shrugged. “They’re your family. Don’t you know?” Without waiting for Stiles to answer he continued, “So, show me what you need help with.”

Stiles grinned. “You swing for a different team but you still play ball, don't ya Danny boy?”

Danny shook his head as he pulled Stiles’ laptop towards him. “You’re a horrible person.”

“I know. It keeps me awake at night.”

Stiles definitely considered himself to be brilliant. After an extremely embarrassing experience, Danny was still willing to help him out. His original plan may have taken a slight detour, but it still came out with the result he first intended.

He watched as Danny worked away on his laptop, his concentration centered on the letters and number on the screen. He hoped they got some sort result out of this.

He used the quiet time to mull over Danny’s words. He didn’t want to think there was something going on between his cousin and the temperamental werewolf but he was smart enough to admit that some things were making sense. Derek never argued with Faith, or pushed her around like he did with Stiles and he had saved her that night at the school and brought her home. Stiles had figured he had maybe liked her but not _liked_ her.

Then there was Faith.

She’d fought with him over Derek, had stuck up for him against Stiles’ protestations. You didn’t do that if you didn’t care. You didn’t bring a practical stranger into your home, your room if you didn’t care or trust about that person.

Stiles swallowed hard. Faith had said she didn’t trust Derek rather that she knew him, which meant that she cared about Derek and she had him stay because she had wanted him to be safe. Stiles didn’t understand why Faith hadn’t just said that in the first place or was the reason she didn’t was because she more than cared about Derek?

Now that he thought about it further, when the hell did Derek suddenly _belong_ to Faith? Why did she use _that_ word?

Stiles shook his head, trying to shake the endless thoughts from his mind; hopefully before they managed to overwhelm him. He’d deal with one problem at a time and they really needed to find out who had sent that text to Allison.

One thing he did know was that he wasn’t going to confront Faith about his thoughts or what Danny had said about her and Derek, especially if they were all wrong. He'd rather have something to base his findings on and then after? Well, he’d deal with that when the time came.

Did it really have to be Derek Hale, though?

As he asked that question in his head he realised it kind of made sense and didn’t that just suck. A vampire and a slayer didn’t seem to work out but could a werewolf and a slayer?

Stiles was brought out of his thoughts by Danny’s voice. “I can actually hear you thinking from over here. You ok?”

Stiles nodded his head. “Yeah, I was just wondering if you’ve found anything yet.”

***

Faith walked downstairs slowly, trying hard to hide the smile that was plastered on her face. Of all the things she thought she would come home to, that hadn’t even been on the list. Well, part of it had and it certainly wasn’t the part with Danny and Stiles.

Walking into the room and finding Derek in all his half naked glory was just plain awesome. Faith could appreciate a good body and just wow, Derek definitely had that. The tattoo was also a nice surprise. She itched to run her fingers over the inked skin repeatedly and for an indeterminate time and had to stop herself from doing so.

The only reason Faith had glossed over what happened in the bedroom was the look of utter horror on all three faces, followed by guilt from Danny and Stiles and shame from Derek. She automatically knew that the entire scene had been Stiles’ idea and she figured the best way to keep things from going too far was to get Derek out of the room and fast.

She still couldn’t believe she’d said that Derek actually belonged to her or the butterflies she received from saying it either. It had popped out before she had a chance to think it over and it was unnerving how she didn’t regret it.

Faith knew she’d deal with Stiles later but first she wanted to find out why Derek was half naked in Stiles’ room to begin with. She couldn’t wait to hear the explanation.

She made her way in to the kitchen, passed Derek and hopped up on to the countertop beside him. She grinned as she watched him fidget next to her, so very unlike the stoic man she knew him to be.

“Should I be worried that you were half naked in my little cousin’s bedroom? Or is this normal for you two?” She asked, nudging his side with her knee.

Derek’s head jerked up in horror, turning to face her. “No.”

“Can’t blame a girl for asking,” she said, hands up defensively. “Are you going to tell me how Stiles got a grown man to strip in his bedroom for him and his friend? Personally Stiles didn’t seem to be bothered but that Danny kid was looking at you like how I look at…”

“It wasn’t like that,” Derek spoke up.

“So, how was it?” Faith asked, nudging him again.

Derek rolled his eyes before explaining to Faith how Danny was a hacker and that Stiles figured out that he could help them trace the text Allison had received the night of the attack at the school as it had obviously not been from Scott. He further went on about how Danny would probably need an incentive to help them and Stiles had come up with the grand idea that Derek was the best incentive they had against Danny.

When Derek had finished Faith burst out laughing.

“I can’t believe Stiles actually talked you into that,” she wheezed through her laughter. She clutched her stomach, leaning into Derek. “Considering the kid’s not leaving, I’ve a feeling it worked.”

“It’s not funny.”

“It is. Luckily, this Danny kid is more into the male of the species or Stiles would have lucked out.” Faith watched Derek sulk for a moment before hopping down from the counter. “You hungry?” she asked, walking to the refrigerator and pulling out the sandwiches she had made earlier and two bottles of water. She placed the sandwiches and water on the counter between them as she hopped back up onto the counter.

“You have something against peanut butter and jelly?” She asked as she grabbed a sandwich. “I’m no chef but I can put two pieces of bread together just fine. Here.” She held a piece out to him. Derek took it from her and began to eat. “See,” Faith beamed. “I wasn’t lying.”

“I know,” Derek said once he finished chewing. “Doesn’t mean you tell the whole truth.”

Faith nodded at him. “I figured you’d catch on sooner or later. I still haven’t out and out lied to you though. Ask me something, anything.”

“Who are you?”

Faith shook her head, clicking her tongue. “You know who I am. I told you last night. Try again.” She turned her head to look at Derek. “You’re trying to tell me that you have nothing to ask me, nothing at all? Come on Hale.”

She watched Derek lost in thought, brow furrowed before he raised his head and turned to face her. He opened his mouth to speak but quickly shut it again, grabbing another sandwich to eat.

They both ate in silence, with Derek thinking over his question and Faith wondering what he would ask. When the sandwiches were finished, she hopped off the counter to take the plate to the sink but was stopped by Derek doing it for her. She was surprised further when he cleaned the plate and set it down to dry at the side.

“Wow, you do dishes as well as tidy up after yourself? Can I keep you?” She asked, wide eyed and smiling. “If you cook too then I’m sorry but I’m never letting you leave.” Faith didn’t think Derek’s eyebrows could get any higher as he looked at her in stunned silence.

“I have my question,” he said, breaking the silence and easing the tension that had begun to grow between them.

Faith smiled. “Hit me with your best shot.”

“Out of all the places you travelled to, what’s been your favourite?” He asked, leaning against the sink, arms folded.

Faith blinked back a look of surprise, letting his question sink in. She’d been expecting him to ask about what she was, not something so normal. The funny thing was she had an answer.

“Beacon Hills,” she answered honestly. “I’ve been moving from country to country, city to city for a couple of years, longer even and I’ve never settled down anywhere because nowhere seemed right. I come here and it feels right.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I don’t want to leave now that I’ve finally found a home.” She laughed to herself, her eyes on the floor under her feet. “You know that’s the first time I’ve admitted that.”

“And the first time I’ve fully believed every word,” Derek added.

Faith looked up as Derek took a step toward her. “Don’t get used to it,” she muttered, taking a step back and finding her back hitting the countertop as Derek continued forward. “I have a question for you.” Derek froze. Faith grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him further forward until they were inches apart; him looking down at her in what Faith could see as trepidation. She knew he thought she was going to ask about his past. “It’s not what you think,” she tried to placate him, watching as his body relaxed somewhat. “That’s for another time but not now.”

“Then what?” he choked out, hands coming to rest on the counter on either side of Faith.

It wasn’t lost on Faith of the picture they both made at that moment. Faith, with her hands bunched in Derek’s shirt as he towered over her, arms either side, trapping her in against the counter and his body. She reasoned that it may not have been better than having Derek wrapped around her but she’ll take what she can get from him and he didn’t look as though he was in a hurry to move away.

“What do I smell like?” she asked.

Derek cocked an eyebrow at her. “That’s it? You want to know your scent?” he returned. Faith nodded at him in answer. He sighed deeply. “Fine, just stay still.”

Faith’s entire body stiffened as Derek bent his head to lean in against her collarbone, his hand coming up to brush away her hair. She breathed in as she realised that he’d chosen the opposite side to where the Alpha’s claw marks were still healing. They were merely dark red lines now but she still allowed her hair to hide them.

As Derek’s nose skimmed her neck, she allowed herself to breathe out, hearing him breathing in at the same time; her fingers tightened on his shirt. Her mind went back to the night before when Derek had tucked his face into the same spot and had remained there as she’d fallen asleep, his breath just as warm and comforting as it was now.

He pulled away slowly to look back deeply into her eyes.

“So?” Faith breathed out, licking her lips.

“You smell…,” Derek began but was cut off by Faith’s lips crashing against his, breaking the tension that had been developing since she had walked into the kitchen. The kiss was over just as fast as it had happened with Faith pulling back, eyes with shock. “…wild,” Derek breathed out. He let out a small cough, taking a small step back but was stopped by Faith clutching his shirt.

Faith felt as though her entire body was blushing at that moment, her heart feeling like it was going to beat right out of her chest. “Wild?” She asked, unable to form any other words.

Derek merely nodded. “Untameable, like the forest you run through every day.” Faith raised an eyebrow at him as Derek dropped his gaze. “Fine rain that clings to your skin, early mornings just as everything starts to become awake and breathe, warm coconut oil from your shampoo, and …,” his voice wavered.

“And? Come on, you can’t leave me hanging. Is it something weird? I swear I shower every day.”

Derek gave a slight shake of his head. “You smell like death,” he revealed softly.

“Oh,” Faith whispered. She figured a long time ago that death would linger on her skin. You can’t be a Slayer, or have done the things she’s done without it sticking around somehow. She looked up to find Derek watching her, eyebrows furrowed as always but he looked almost worried. “Could be worse, right?” Faith gave Derek a small smile.

“Look about last…,” Derek began, moving forward again into Faith’s personal space.

“Hey! We found something,” Stiles’ voice shouted from above them, breaking the moment between them.

They both sighed, Derek’s forehead falling gently onto Faith’s, before they let out a small laugh.

“We better head up there,” Derek said, stepping back.

Faith nodded. She allowed Derek to walk passed her but grabbed his forearm to stop him. He turned to look at her in question.

“Why didn’t you just ask me? You had your chance but you didn’t take it. Why?” She asked apprehensively. “I’d have told you if you had asked.”

Derek gave her a hint of a smile. “I’m a smart boy, remember? I’ll figure it out.”

Faith grinned. “I’m sure you will,” she said, turning to walk passed him. She stopped to give a small kiss on the cheek, her lips lingering a moment. She pulled away with a wide smile before heading out the kitchen, leaving a stunned Derek to watch her go. “Just so you know,” she called back to him, “you taste as good as you smell.”

She left him, heading upstairs and disappearing into Stiles’ room. If she’d listened carefully, she’d have heard Derek’s response.

“And just so _you_ know,” he whispered aloud to the empty kitchen, “you smell like mine.”


	13. M is for Mine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** See Chapter 1. Dialogue from the episode, Wolf's Bane.   
> **A/N:** A new month and a new chapter and we are now at the half way point. I have never written anything this long before and I would really like to thank all of you who have stuck with me through this. I appreciate it and I promise that I will be finishing this fic, even if it kills me ( I really hope it doesn't!). So, I don't know if many of you have noticed but I've made a point not to have Derek's POV in this fic... until now. Enjoy!
> 
> Noturbaby, as always, thank you for the beta.

**Chapter 13: M is for Mine**

To say that Derek Hale was surprised when he was first met Faith Lehane would be an understatement. He wasn't so much introduced to her as she introduced him to the brick wall he had been shoving Stiles into. That was unexpected; she had surprised him and it had been a long time since anyone had managed to blind side him.

Instinct kicked in, telling him to protect himself and he had felt himself begin to shift; only managing to hold himself back with the realisation that he was out in the open in the middle of the day.

He had been spun so quickly and so violently that his vision had blurred, preventing him from seeing his attacker’s face. His nostrils flared as her scent wafted in the spinning air and he tensed up whilst his mind struggled to identify the fragrance. He had questions.

He felt her loosen her grip slightly, finally allowing him to look her in the eyes over his shoulder. She looked unassuming and of an average, if athletic, build… there was no way this girl had been able to turn the tables on him. His eyes darted left and right, looking for an accomplice. Almost on cue she pushed him in to the wall even harder, almost as if she knew that he was questioning her…. Albeit silently.

He fought against her, in part due to wanting to get out from beneath her grasp and in part due to his damaged pride. He mustered his strength and pushed against her but she planted her feet and forced him back against the wall… it didn’t feel like she was letting him go any time soon

He pushed down hard enough to get another look at her. He’d pegged her at mid- twenties, perhaps around the same age as him… she also seemed to have a penchant for leather. The jacket she wore looked buttery soft from constant use and had a distinctive scent of wood coming from beneath it.

More than that though, he could smell blood.

He could practically feel the protective streak coming from her in waves with a touch of anger obscuring the edges. He’d figured on her being a sibling to Stiles, who was still standing nearby, but her scent wasn’t as close to Stiles as it should have been if they were brother and sister. Stiles then gave him another piece of the puzzle when he called her Faith.

It wasn’t until after Faith had finally left them alone that Stiles had finally revealed, in his usual brand of sarcasm and wit, Faith’s true identity.

“Derek, I’d like you to meet my cousin, Faith. She’s… well, she’s not from around here.”

Derek would have glared at him but had been more interested in watching Faith touch his car with her fingertip; if he didn’t know any better he would have said she did it on purpose. He’d watched her finger trace the hood of the car with rapt interest and had been unable to look away until she had disappeared around the corner and out of sight.

He walked away wordlessly, leaving Stiles behind him and all thoughts of finding Scott forgotten. The only thing he could think about was the woman that had just schooled him; her physique, her attitude, her scent and three simple words that rang out to him… Want. Take. Have.

***

If you asked Derek after being shot what he remembered most during the ordeal, he’d lie and tell you the pain but if he was being truly honest with himself then he’d tell you it was a pair of brown eyes. Unfortunately, Derek was never honest with anyone or even himself so he was sticking to his story that it was the pain of the Wolfsbane slowing poisoning his body.

He’d begun to realise that there was a hell of a lot he didn’t know about Stiles’ cousin and figured that Stiles didn’t know much about her either from his reaction. This raised even more questions… she was an enigma, a very dangerous one. He had been just as surprised but the reason for that was due to Faith’s heartbeat; there hadn’t even been a blip, a skipped beat or a flutter…nothing. It was almost as if she’d known exactly what Stiles was going to say the entire time and had been waiting for him to spill his guts. It had been intriguing to watch as Stiles had babbled at an incoherent speed whilst Faith stood back and listened intently, allowing Stiles to slow down before she had responded.

Any other time, Derek would have called her out on her shit but he had had other things to consider at that time. Dying rated pretty high on his scale of things to worry about rather than some mysterious woman who seemed to know a hell of a lot more than she was letting on.

It had been while tending to the wound on his arm that he had caught her scent again. It was mixed with the horrid stench of his wound but strong enough to help keep from shifting while she had tended to him. She had shown no fear when his eyes had flashed at her and had even countered that she’d seen worse.

After Faith had bandaged him up, Derek had taken the time to watch Stiles and Faith argue and could see, rather than smell, that they were definitely related. Faith’s sarcastic humour, like Stiles, was there but it wasn’t used as something to hide behind, maybe when she was younger, but no more. She was also strong – he was choosing to forget how easy she had lifted him into the jeep - and not just physically but in character. She took charge of the whole situation effortlessly and had begun ordering them around with a scary familiarity. He hadn’t chosen to argue with her and had simply gone along with whatever plan she was obviously making up as she went. It had been fascinating to watch her as she calculated how to keep him and Stiles safe while trying to figure out how to get Scott to them with the bullet all the while knowing that hunters could bear down on them at any second. She hadn’t smelled of panic or stress and just took every problem in stride. He had wondered briefly if she was military trained, which would begin to explain some of the theories that had popped up about her.

He’d been wont to let her leave them and not because he’d be left vulnerable and exposed with what he could only describe as the most annoying being alive but because she was knowingly heading in the direction of hunters and didn’t have a care.

Being punched by Stiles was akin to being prodded at by an angry kitten. In comparison, the punch to the face Faith had delivered had hurt, like a bitch, but he was never going to admit that to anyone – ever.

It wasn’t until after he had dropped off Scott after he had showed him his Uncle Peter at the hospital that he took in everything that had happened. Faith had been the one to calm him down and had purposefully pinned him down and talked him back from a shift; his ears picking up her tone of voice and soothing words through all the pain coursing through his system all at once. It was her eyes that had brought him back down; such care and concern in the look she gave back had him breathing slowly once again.

He didn’t want to know if it meant anything and used the silence of the Preserve to allow him to push all thoughts of the frustrating woman out of his mind. She was a distraction. A beautiful and dangerous distraction but he’d fallen for that before and he wasn’t going to allow history to repeat itself.

***

The thing with ignoring a problem in the hope that it goes away, is that it never does. It sticks around and if you continue to ignore it then it’s going to come back at you even harder and bite you in your ass. Derek realised this the moment he took in Faith’s full scent in the clearing and ever since had wanted to run in the opposite direction.

Faith had been utterly wrong about her scent. She hadn’t smelled bad; in fact she had smelled so good that Derek knew he could have lost himself in it if she’d allowed him to. Her scent had hit his senses like a truck, taking his breath away and choking him all at once.

He knew she ran every morning as he’d been finding her lingering scent all over the forest hours after so he wasn’t surprised to have her scent filled with the clean, fresh forest around them or the scent of coconut in her hair but it was the acrid stench of death that clung to her like a second skin that had him holding back a whine. She hadn’t looked sick or smelled of any sickness but he couldn’t argue that the scent was there, interwoven with all the other delicious smells that made up her intoxicating scent.

It was addicting and he’d had to force himself to stay in the clearing while she’d ran off back home, his claws digging into his thighs and the blood trickling down his leg in order to keep himself grounded. He’d wanted to run… to chase and catch her just to get another chance to allow her scent to become entwined with his own and lick it right from the soft, hollow crook of her neck.

However, it was fear that had kept him rooted to the spot in the clearing; fear of the unknown. He had a niggling feeling that he knew why he was acting the way he was, why his primal side was wanting to come out to play and how easy he could just let himself change and do what he most desired to do.

Claim.

Derek wanted to claim Faith as his own and keep her all to himself. That made him frustrated and angry… more than that though, it scared him shitless.

Afterwards, he’d made it a point to stay away from the part of the woods that Faith favoured to run through as he didn’t think he’d be able to fight the urge to go after her.

***

Derek knew that the plan at the school was going to end badly and not because Stiles and Scott had come up with it. He just didn’t think he’d have been skewered by the Alpha, become the most wanted man in Beacon Hills or that he’d have to find a badly beaten Faith lying in a pool of her own blood in the school gym. The last point had made him so angry that he had almost torn the building down around him - bricks, mortar and all. Her strong heartbeat at that moment had kept him grounded enough to get her the hell out of there and back to her home.

He had waited; hidden amongst the trees in the backyard as she had showered. He heard the occasional hissing and cursing whenever the hot water hit the wounds on her body. Derek left just after Faith had dumped her bloodied clothes onto the kitchen floor before heading back upstairs and just as Stiles had run out of the police cruiser and into the house looking worried and shouting for Faith.

Later on, he had told himself that he had only waited in order to make sure that the Alpha hadn’t followed Faith; looking to finish what he started. He knew deep down though that he waited because he _needed_ to know she was safe. It unnerved him how easily she had handled the pain; barely flinching from popping her arm back in the socket had him questioning how someone could ever get used to that type of pain… and what it would take to get there.

No one needed to know that he returned to the house hours later just to make sure everything was alright.

***

Contrary to what Stiles or Scott thought, Derek did not like being a wanted fugitive. It wasn’t that he had a great history with the police or any authority in general but he drew the line at being wanted for murder. Unpaid parking tickets and speeding fines suddenly paled in comparison.

He’d had to hide out in the woods while the police had searched his home, or what was left of his home. The Argents had made it their personal business to track the woods every day and he’d made sure to keep out of sight but it had been proving harder as each day passed. He’d used his free time hiding out trying to figure out what Laura’s last message to him meant and when the full moon came around, he’d made sure he was he was as close as he could get to Beacon Hills but far enough away that he could run from the Argents and the Alpha if either one stumbled upon him.

If hiding out also meant not confronting Faith or thinking about his ‘feelings’ then he was taking that as a bonus.

The meeting with Scott and Faith hadn’t gone as he thought it would have. He knew he would need to use Scott to get to the Alpha and lying to the kid was the only sure fire way of getting his full agreement but he hadn’t counted on Faith being involved, or even helping him lie.

He had known Faith was strong and she’d even shown this a time or two but he realised quickly that that was nothing compared to when she was angry. She’d had him holding back a whine of submission when she’d attempted to put him through the tree. Safe to say that through the years he’d been put through walls and even a couple of floors but a tree was a new one to him.

The realisation that Faith cared about him irked him more than anything else. He didn’t know if it was because he wasn’t used to it or because people who tended to care about him died and he couldn’t handle that happening to another innocent. Either way, he didn’t need anyone caring about him. He ignored the little voice that told him that things were different this time – Faith was different.

Derek thought Faith was an enigma at the best of times but after their conversation in the woods, it hadn’t waned. He knew she was lying to him about her life and who she truly was but her heartbeat told him a different story. It hadn’t taken long to figure that she had been telling the truth but only enough that she didn’t have to outright lie to him. However, this only brought up the question, why not just lie and save the trouble of all the half-truths?

It wasn’t until Faith outright lied to Stiles over the phone that Derek realised that _he_ didn’t like Faith lying. Her heartbeat didn’t sound right to him and even the tone of her voice changed. It sounded wrong and felt wrong and he would quite happily settle for half-truths.

***

If there was one feeling that Derek was well acquainted with, it would be guilt. It practically seeped from his pores most days and kept him in a constant state of anger. He felt guilt over his family’s death, over Laura dying, his Uncle Peter being in his comatose state and even Scott being bitten… but he was shocked at how his guilt choked him as watched the black and purple bruises forming on Faith’s wrists. He’d hurt people before but he’d never been around to witness his damage come to fruition. He’d always been present for the aftermath but watching those bruises bleed into the pale, soft skin had him swallowing his words as he couldn’t think of any that would be able to portray how sorry he was. He hadn’t meant it and had only grabbed her to stop her hitting him. He knew what he’d said would push her buttons and he had been grateful for helping him even if he couldn’t physically say the words at the time.

Derek found himself apologising before he knew it; his gaze still on her wrists as if he could make the bruise go away by sheer willpower. He couldn’t understand why Faith wasn’t kicking his ass at that moment and how she could stomach him touching her even after he’d hurt her.

Faith never feared him and he never smelled it from her either. She truly wasn’t afraid of him, but was afraid _for_ him and he couldn’t fathom why or if he felt the same way. He worried about her too and it was something he couldn’t ignore any more.

***

If Derek thought that hearing Faith telling him he was to be staying with her at the Sheriff’s house – the same Sheriff who has been leading a manhunt for him – was weird then nothing could prepare him for actually walking through the front door. He hadn’t expected Faith to invite him in and he could see and hear for the first time that she was nervous as she stood at the bottom of the stairs. When she’d offered to make him something to eat he’d declined and had asked to be pointed in the direction of the shower.

He’d stood under the hot spray listening as Faith moved around the house. Her nervousness dissipating as she proceeded to change her clothes and then went in search of pillows and blankets; opening and closing a myriad of doors before she triumphantly let out a whoop… she’d obviously found them.

Being in Faith’s bedroom, surrounded by her scent, was disconcerting for Derek but it wasn’t because he didn’t want to be there, instead it was more that he didn’t want to leave. He had dressed and made a make shift bed out of the blankets and pillows that Faith had laid out for him. His attention was constantly drawn to the open laptop on the chest of drawers beside the bedroom door. The screensaver was picture upon picture of Faith with many different people and upon closer inspection, many different countries and cities. He could make out New York from a few due to some familiar buildings in the background and Paris, thanks to the Eiffel Tower in one shot. Many of them were taken with a woman who looked to be just older or the same age as Faith with blonde hair; the pair of them looking like they didn’t have a care in the world as they posed for the pictures.

In that moment Derek realised he knew next to nothing about Faith. He knew from her accent alone that she was from Boston, that she was related to Stiles and may or may not have a criminal past due to how easy her mind went to theft when discussing how Scott would get the necklace from Allison Argent.

As he continued to watch the slideshow he heard Stiles come barging through the front door and into the kitchen where Faith was. He could hear them as clear as if they were standing in the same room as him. When he heard his name mentioned he wanted to stop listening but couldn’t help it as he heard Faith defending him to Stiles. He let out a stream of air as Stiles continued to argue and he could understand why the kid wouldn’t want him in the house but it was Faith’s unwarranted protection that had him wondering what the hell he had to done to deserve it. Her affirmation that he would never hurt her floored him as she truly believed that he wouldn’t, even after what had happened between them in the car.

He had moved away from the laptop as he listened to Faith make her way upstairs. If he hadn’t have been listening into the argument between her and Stiles then just looking at her as she walked into the room would have been enough to know something had gone on and when Stiles walked up to his bedroom moments later he could even hear from the kid’s footsteps that he didn’t like what had happened either. Hell, Stiles had even made closing a door sound sad and he could see from Faith’s expression that she felt it too.

Derek had honestly wanted to say a million different things to Faith as they sat together in her room but he was finding it hard to form words and instead opted to do what he knew best. Asking questions without actually asking was a particular skill he had crafted well over the years and something Laura had constantly poked fun at him for. It wasn’t that he meant to do it all the time but it helped him to get what he wanted fast; in this case he found out that Faith hadn’t been around the Stilinski family since she was a kid. It bothered him that she stayed away for so long and he couldn’t comprehend what was so bad that she had purposely stayed away. From the way he had seen Stiles and her interact, they cared deeply for each other and that they were as close as a siblings rather than cousins. He could only deduce that the reason she stayed away was for protection even after she admitted it was more out of fear and guilt, but protection from what exactly?

The revelation the she was a teacher was funnier than anything else. Derek couldn’t even begin to imagine Faith stuck in a classroom with a bunch of teenagers. She just didn’t seem the type but she was telling the truth and he couldn’t contain the snort that had escaped or appreciate the blinding smile he received from Faith either.

He didn’t mind talking with Faith as she lay in bed and him on the floor. It felt easy and fun even though the conversation took an abrupt turn… it still didn’t feel awkward. Even saying good night to each other wasn’t weird; it felt right, as if it was something they said every night rather than for the first time.

Derek was also secretly glad her last name wasn’t Stilinski. It wasn’t that he had a personal grudge against the name itself but it just didn’t suit her. Lehane definitely suited her and he found that saying it aloud sounded better.

After Faith switched the light off, Derek sat in the dark listening as Faith dropped off asleep. When looking up from where he was lying he could see that she was facing him with one hand under the pillow and the other clutching her duvet to her, a small smile on her lips. She looked peaceful when she slept, trouble free, something he wasn’t. It wasn’t so much that he couldn’t sleep, it was more like he had trouble dropping off. His thoughts were clearer in the dark and silent night and he found that they liked to taunt him more as he tried to get to sleep, however, that night with Faith’s heartbeat and scent surrounding him he found that he didn’t feel restless or uncomfortable. In fact, he felt something that had become almost foreign to him; he felt safe. He hadn’t felt safe since before the fire, not even with Laura in New York, and with that thought he drifted off to sleep.

***

Derek woke early the next morning instinctively knowing that he wasn’t alone on the floor and that he’d never been more comfortable in his entire life. He opened his eyes to find himself embarrassingly wrapped around Faith like some sort of Boa constrictor; his face was squashed into her neck and he had one arm cuddling her while the other was clasped tightly in her hand. He allowed himself a moment to wonder what had happened from the time he fell asleep to waking. They only thing he could think and from Faith’s position was that he must have had a nightmare and she had moved to comfort him. It wasn’t like him to forget his nightmares but all he could remember from his sleep was warmth and protection, something he wasn’t used to as he’d been having nightmares every night for the past six years.

He’d pulled back slowly and tried to remove himself carefully but found that Faith had a good grasp of his hand and was similarly wrapped around him as he was to her. Derek contemplated for an instant just saying ‘fuck it’ and staying exactly where he was but he knew that he would have to be out of the house before the Sheriff came home. Despite being labelled a creeper, he wasn’t one for watching someone sleep. He didn’t think Faith could argue her way out of harbouring a known fugitive although it crossed his mind that she would probably give a good go at it; she’s still related to Stiles after all.

With a small smile, he attempted to move again and this time was able to gently pry Faith’s hand from his own and place it lightly down before smoothly rolling her, as he shifted his arm from around her. He froze as she moaned in her sleep and only moved again when he listened to her deep breathing even out. When he was finally able to stand he debated on whether or not to move Faith from the floor to her own bed as she was snuggled under the duvet and looked entirely too comfortable for someone who was sleeping on a floor. He finally decided to put her in her own bed and delicately picked her up bridal style, enfolded in the duvet and laid her on the bed. She didn’t move or make a peep and he called it a win that she didn’t wake… avoiding the whole ‘weird morning after’ atmosphere.

He left the house a while later after dressing and tidying away the blankets and pillows on the floor. The only reason he hid his things under the bed was that he didn’t want to be seen climbing out of a window with a duffle bag… especially as the house in question belonged to the town’s Sheriff. He trusted Faith enough to not root around his stuff and made sure the room was ‘as how he found it’.

Before leaving out of the window, he paused to take a last look at Faith sleeping and wished that things were different so that he didn’t have to leave, or that things wouldn't be awkward between them. He’d already decided that he’d never tell her and will probably never mention what happened between them during the night but he appreciated her help - it wasn’t a bad way to wake up.

Derek had barely made it to the end of the street before he saw the Sheriff’s police cruiser pulling into the driveway. He spared a brief thought as to what Faith would think when she woke up and felt somewhat solemn.

***

Growing up, Derek was used to being embarrassed. You didn’t have an older sister like Laura and not be made fun of or made to do something you didn’t want to do without there being humiliating consequences, but being used as ‘leverage’ to get some kid, Danny, to help with whatever Stiles had planned was pretty much in his top five mortifying experiences ever. It was, however, quickly pushed to the number one spot the moment Faith opened the bedroom door to find him standing half naked in the corner. He silently cursed the unbelievable knack she had for sneaking up on him. The fact that she’d shouted her way up the stairs was irrelevant in his book.

He’d had such a great morning as well as he hadn’t come across any hunters as he’d prowled through the forest. He’d only returned to the Stilinski house to find out what was happening with the necklace and had ended up embroiled in one of Stiles’ schemes. He really hated that kid and the only reason he was still alive was because of Faith.

He’d pretty much declared that what happened in the Stiles’ bedroom didn’t and the incident will forever be blocked from his mind. Except there was one thing that he couldn’t forget, and he had tried, it was Faith saying that he _belonged_ to her. It wasn’t the first time she’d come out with something that had stunned him into silence, allowing her to pull him out through the door and pushed gently downstairs. The night she had told him he was staying with her and that he _needed_ her had him thinking it was nothing more than her being arrogant; even though it was true it had still shocked him – not that he was telling her that. She now had enough ammunition after the bedroom debacle to last a lifetime.

Still, stating in front of people that he belonged to her wasn’t something he was actively protesting against or denying. He’d known since he’d first got a good grasp of her scent that she was familiar, known, but to think she was his was something else entirely. Logically, he knew that people didn’t belong to other people but there’s always that pull to someone and you never know how or why just that there’s something there. He’d thought he’d had that once before but now he knew how different that was in comparison.

Derek wasn’t a romantic, maybe once years ago but too much had happened for him to have those silly thoughts any more. He knew the idea of mates was ludicrous; stories his parents told when he was younger but growing up, he’d seen for himself the strong and unbreakable bonds that could develop between two people and he couldn’t mistake or ignore that something was happening between him and Faith. The question was, did he want it? Could he handle something like that after everything that had happened?

Did Faith want it?

She was forward and flirted at every opportunity and had helped him more often than not but he still didn’t know her. What he did know was that she gave herself freely without asking for anything in return… something he wasn’t used to as he was more familiar with quid pro quo. Then again, why the hell would she want him? He trusted no one and could barely hold a conversation without some sort of threat and yet, he didn’t do that with her; he couldn’t.

It wasn’t until Faith kissed him that he knew he was well and truly screwed. Trust it to happen that he has someone he now knows he cares deeply about and he’s too damaged for anything to happen. Her scent drives him nuts, _she_ drives him nuts and she can take care of herself in dangerous situations; something he’s never questioned and all he can think about is how he doesn’t deserve it, doesn’t deserve her and he knows he should get the hell away, the quicker the better.

Walking upstairs to Stiles’ bedroom to find out what they’d found out, he realised he hadn’t once compared Faith with _her_. He barely knew Faith and yet he didn’t doubt for a second that Faith was anything like _her_ , that Faith wouldn’t hurt him like she did.

Derek knew deep down that happy endings, like mates, were for fairy tales and children and couldn’t help think that even though Faith smelled like his, he could never _allow_ her to be. It was for her own protection more than anything as he didn’t think he could handle losing her the same way he lost his family and Laura. There was only so much one man could take in his life and Faith would be the final straw.

Once it was all over, he was leaving. Once the Alpha had been dealt with then he was out of Beacon Hills for good.

It was with that final thought he’d walked into Stiles’ bedroom.

***

Faith stared at the computer screen over Danny’s shoulder and asked, “Ok, show me what you came up with.”

“There, the text was sent from a computer,” Danny said, pointing to the screen. “This one.”

Faith and Derek both looked to the screen and the information that Danny was now pointing to before looking at each other in disbelief.

“Registered to that account name?” Derek asked finally.

Danny nodded.

“No, no, no,” Stiles protested with a shake of his head. “That can’t be right.”

Every eye on the room was now on the screen on the information declaring that the text sent to Scott’s phone the night of the Alpha attack at the school was from Beacon Hills Hospital, under the account name of Melissa McCall.

Faith clamped a hand on Stiles shoulder. “It might not be anything.”

She could see Stiles looking panicked and decided to get Danny out of there before they discussed what they were going to do next. Danny wasn’t part of this and he’d already broken the law by hacking for them, he didn’t need to risk anything else.

“So, Danny, you all done here?” she asked him cheerily.

Danny turned to face her and gave her a weak smile. “Yeah,” he answered. “I really should be heading home.” He stood up, grabbing his jacket and bag that he had brought with him and headed for the door. He gave a small wave to Stiles, who returned it blankly, his eyes never leaving the laptop screen.

“I’ll show you out,” Faith offered, moving around Stiles’ chair and Derek, following Danny out the bedroom and down stairs to the front door. They stood in silence as Danny put his jacket back on before opening the door.

“You know, I’m not stupid. I know Derek Hale when I see him,” he said as he zipped up his jacket, throwing his bag over his shoulder. He looked to Faith with a raised eyebrow, challenging her to deny it. “Stiles really can’t lie well and I can believe you’re his cousin, but Miguel? Seriously?”

Faith merely smiled at him. “You won’t tell and I won’t tell?”

Danny grinned at her. “I’ll take that. I don’t really know what you are going to do with that information but I have the feeling it may have made things worse.”

“You helped more than you know and thank you. Those two won’t say it so I will.”

He nodded at her and went to walk through the door but paused a moment. “I’ll give you something, you are one lucky girl, Faith.”

“Yeah?” Faith asked in confusion, her hand on the door, holding it open. “How so?”

She watched as Danny looked up the stairs to where Stiles’ bedroom door was standing open. Faith followed his line of sight before coming back to find Danny grinning at her. “You know.”

Danny left Faith standing with her hand on the open door and a wide eyed expression as she realised to what he was referring to.

“Thanks Danny,” she called out after him, receiving a small wave back from him in return. “I think.”

Faith shut the door, leaning against it a moment as she let what had happened since she’d returned home come to mind. She hadn’t expected to kiss Derek in the kitchen but she wasn’t going to deny it felt really good, even to the point that she’d had to give him another one before leaving the kitchen.

She had wanted to know what he was going to say about what had happened last night but as per usual Stiles had perfect timing and had interrupted them. Now, she had to deal with finding out how the hell Melissa McCall, Scott’s mom, was involved in all this or if she was even involved at all. Faith hadn’t met her yet but she’d heard enough good things about the woman from her uncle, Stiles and Scott that she doubted that Melissa McCall had even sent it in the first place. It had her wondering who did.

Faith sighed as she pushed back from the door and made her way back upstairs to Stiles’ bedroom. She knew they would have to go to the hospital and do some snooping; this time she wouldn’t be able to do it without Derek and Stiles coming along with her. She just hoped they stayed in the car while she poked around the place and didn’t kill each other while they were at it, or more than likely, Derek killing Stiles for not keeping his trap shut for long enough.

Now, she just had to tell them what she was planning and get them to agree, all the while making sure they get Stiles to his game on time.

It should be easy, right?

***

Derek did not like Faith’s idea about going into the hospital on her own to case the place. He’d argued with her until he was practically blue in the face but she’d calmly told him that Stiles couldn’t be the one to do it as he would be caught out right away. For one thing, they would obviously know who he was since Melissa knew him and would immediately question why he was there. Derek was wanted for murder so he was an even worse choice right now. So… she was their best bet to get in and get out with whatever information she could find.

It wasn’t a great plan but he had to concede that it was all that they had. He’d made sure that Faith would be in try and stay in contact with them as she walked around the place; just in case she came across something suspicious, like a rampaging alpha. ‘ _Stranger things have happened_ ,’ he thought.

Now Derek was sitting in Stiles’ jeep watching Faith stroll across the road into Beacon Hills Hospital. Stiles was currently on the phone with Scott discussing the picture of the necklace he’d sent. He could hear Scott ask if they’d received the picture and Stiles confirming that it was just like the drawing. Derek was getting pissed as he had his own questions about the necklace and his worry for Faith was escalating.

He grabbed Stiles’ arm and pulled the cell towards him. “Hey, is there something on the back of it, there’s gotta be something. Well… an inscription or an opening… something…,” he asked.

“No. The thing is flat, and no it doesn’t open. There’s nothing in it, on it or around it,” Scott answered honestly. Derek let out a frustrated growl and pushed Stiles’ arm and the cell away from him.

Stiles glared at Derek and brought the phone back to his ear and listened as Scott asked where he was and that he wouldn’t be able to play if he wasn’t at the game.

“I know!” he shouted down the phone. “Look, if you see my dad, can you tell him…” he paused, “tell him I’ll be there I’ll just be a little bit late and that you haven’t heard anything from Faith. Ok? Alright thanks.” He hung up with a sigh.

Derek knew there was a very good chance that Stiles was going to miss his game entirely and that Faith felt guilty about it. She’d done a good job of making sure not to show it though when he was around.

“You’re not gonna make it,” he pointed out. He wasn’t trying to be a dick, he was only speaking the truth and he knew Stiles knew it too.

Faith had offered to go to the hospital on her own but he and Stiles had both been against that idea and claimed they were both going whether she liked it or not. Stiles had argued that he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on the game and his dad would have wondered where Faith was. Derek had remained silent after declaring that he was coming with them; his final word on the matter.

“I know!” Stiles spat back.

“And you didn’t tell him about his mom either.”

“Not ‘til we find out the truth, or until Faith finds something,” Stiles replied. His eyes were focused calmly on the front doors of the hospital however his fingers were twitching on the steering wheel, betraying his real state of mind.

“You should go in and check on her,” Derek suggested. He’d been itching to since Faith left the jeep but knew he’d be seen and it wasn’t worth the risk. He could see that Stiles was thinking the same thing.

Stiles nodded, turning to get out the jeep.

Derek pulled him back suddenly, “By the way, one more thing,” he said.

“Yeah…,” Stiles asked before Derek slammed his head face first into the steering wheel. He bounced back and reached a hand to his forehead as the pain shot through his skull and lights blinded his vision. “God, what the hell was…?”

“You know what that was for!” Derek pointed at him angrily. He pushed Stiles out the open jeep door. “Go,” he shoved, “go!”

Stiles clambered out of the jeep with his hand still on his forehead, pressing hard to try and stop the throbbing pain. He walked across the deserted road, blinking rapidly and trying to gain some semblance of coordination.

Stiles blinked once more, “Oh, he just _had_ to wait until Faith had left before trying that one... Coward!” he muttered, knowing Derek could hear, as he let himself in through the glass door of the hospital and the deserted hallways beyond.

He looked around and practically jumped out of his skin as his cell phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and looked at the unfamiliar number before answering, “Yeah?”

“You see anything?” Derek’s voice came through the line.

“I just got here! What did you expect?” he argued, rubbing his pulsing forehead. “You know, you’d have never tried that if Faith had been there.”

“Probably not but she wasn’t there was she? Now go find her and you may even make your game tonight.”

Stiles sighed as he walked along the quiet corridor towards the nurse’s station. He didn’t hate hospitals and had the utmost respect for the people that worked there day in and day out but they reminded him of his mom and the worst time of his life so he tended to stay away from them. Even as he walked along the corridor, his converse squeaking on the linoleum floor and the disinfectant smell in the air, he could remember walking with his dad as they visited his mom as clearly as though he’d done it yesterday. However, something was off about this visit and it wasn’t that his mom was now gone or that he wasn’t with his dad but rather the place was completely and utterly deserted. There wasn’t a nurse at the desk or anyone walking around. He couldn’t find any sign of Faith either.

“Anything?” Derek asked, breaking Stiles out of his thoughts. He went to shake his head and realised that the werewolf wasn’t standing beside him.

“No. Nothing,” he confirmed. “She’s not here.”

“Look around.”

“Yeah, I said I can’t find her.” Stiles stated, ducking his head into several suspiciously empty rooms. He was starting to get concerned and had an uneasy lump growing in his gut. He thought to call out to Faith but didn’t want to alert to anyone that he was there or that Faith was sneaking around.

“Look,” Derek said, “ask for Jennifer. She’s been looking after my uncle.”

Stiles headed towards the room that Derek said his uncle was in and found it devoid of anyone. The bed was made and it looked as though no one had ever resided there.

“Yeah, well, he’s not here either,” he bemoaned down the phone.

“What?” Derek asked in confusion.

Stiles let out a sigh, “He’s not here. He’s gone Derek.”

The silence down the phone was palpable and Stiles swallowed hard. Something was clearly wrong and it wasn’t just gut instinct telling him that any more, it was the jack hammering of his heart. He kept his cell pressed against his ear and felt his stomach drop at Derek’s next words.

“Stiles get out there right now. It’s him. He’s the alpha. Get out!” Derek shouted.

Stiles stumbled back out the hospital room and into the corridor. He turned to head back outside and to safety but was stopped by the presence of a man standing in front of him, leaning against the door frame. He took a step back as he looked the stranger up and down and realised this must be Derek’s Uncle Peter. The guy looked dangerous and not because half his face was scarred by burns or the intimidating leather jacket; it was just his sheer presence.

Stiles gulped, taking another step back. His cell was still pressed to the side of his head and he could hear Derek breathing down the other end.

The terrifying silence was broken by Peter. “You must be Stiles,” he stated.

Stiles nodded, visibly shaking.

“I’ve got someone I think you’d like to meet,” he said with a small smile, pushing off the door frame and disappearing into the room beside him.

Stiles’ entire mind told him to run but his feet were frozen to the floor in fear and he could barely breathe. He knew that if he did run then he wouldn’t get very far and a part of him needed to see that the person that Peter was referring to _wasn’t_ Faith. He _needed_ it not to be Faith and bowed his head in silent prayer that his cousin was back outside with Derek.

He raised his head as he heard the shuffling of feet and the sounds of someone struggling and gasped. Peter had Faith in his clutches, his clawed hand gripped tightly around her neck so that she couldn’t speak, her eyes bulging with the pressure. She had a gash on her head, her nose was bleeding and her lip was cut but it wasn’t stopping her from trying to get out of Peter’s hold on her. When she locked eyes with Stiles they widened in horror and she started to pull away from Peter and towards Stiles but was stopped by Peter’s claws digging deeper into her neck. He could see the rivulets of blood trickle down over the claws, sliding down beneath Faith’s leather jacket.

“Faith,” he whispered, letting it out on a breath.

The last thing Stiles heard before the phone was cut off was the sound of the jeep’s door slamming shut.

***

Faith couldn’t believe how Peter Hale got one over on her but she knew that he wasn’t working alone; a nasty and throbbing welt on her head was the first clue. Before she’d been knocked down, she’d clearly seen Peter in her sights and her slayer senses had went into overdrive… however she’d then been unceremoniously struck with something to the back of the head and had hit the floor before she could do anything. When she had come too she could hear Peter talking to someone before he grabbed her tightly around the throat, lifting her from the floor and dragging her out to the corridor.

She had been expecting to see his accomplice but had stared in sheer horror when she saw the prone figure of Stiles standing a few feet from her, looking petrified. She’d tried to fight but was restrained by Peter’s claws in her neck; a warning that he’d tear her throat out if she attempted to get away. She sensed the silent threat that he’d kill Stiles too… so she refrained from struggling and allowed Peter to hold her still. Her eyes never left Stiles.

“Now Faith, are we going to behave?” Peter asked with a sickly sweet tone. When Faith didn’t answer, he squeezed just enough to have her blinking back tears. She grabbed at his clawed hand with both hands trying to pull it away but stopped when it proved futile and nodded as best as she could.

He continued, “Good. Now, I think you and I should have a little chat.”

Faith bit back a retort, knowing she had to get Stiles out of there fast. She used her strength to kick out at Peter’s knee, causing him to loosen his hold on her neck and stagger backwards with the force of the blow.

“STILES RUN!” She coughed out. She tried to push him forward but Peter stood tall, pulling her backwards against his chest. Faith elbowed him the stomach causing him to double over but his hold on Faith never wavered. He stood tall, grabbing her around the neck again and slamming her against the wall hard before pulling her back to him; his clawed hand gripped so tightly on her neck that her vision began to darken.

Stiles turned to run but his exit was halted by a red haired woman dressed in a nurse’s uniform.

“What are you doing here? Visiting hours are over!” she scowled.

Stiles stood in between the nurse and Peter when in a moment of clarity it hit him – this had all been a trap.

“You?” he pointed to the nurse, who he now figured, was the ‘Jennifer’ Derek mentioned before. He pointed to Peter, “and him.”

He looked back to Jennifer in realisation. “You’re the one who… and oh my… and he’s the… oh my God we’re going to die,” he cried, his gaze flitting between his two captors and finally on Faith who stared back at him with the same level of fear. Her eyes darted away from his and her eyebrows rose suddenly, causing him to turn towards the direction of her gaze.

Stiles turned to see Derek punch the nurse; her body fell to the floor limply. Derek looked up slowly, staring first at Peter and then at and Faith behind him.

“That’s not nice,” Peter admonished, “she was my nurse.

“She’s the psychotic bitch helping you kill people,” Derek stated, his gaze centered on Peter’s clawed hand around Faith’s neck. He nodded to Stiles without looking at him, “Get out of the way.”

Stiles took one last look at Faith before ducking down behind the nurse’s station. He knew the only person who could help was Derek and that there was going to be some damage caused. “Oh, damn.”

Derek let out a low growl of warning to Peter.

“Now, now, Derek. We don’t want anything to happen to this one, do we?” Peter threatened. For emphasis he squeezed just enough to leave Faith gasping for air; her hands once again grabbing at his arm to pull it away and give her some breathing room.

Derek’s eyes narrowed. “She’s nothing to do with this.”

Peter gave him a small shake of his head and a saccharine smile. “You have no idea, do you? What she is? What she can do?” He brought a hand up to stroke Faith’s cheek. “It took me a while but I figured it out eventually. Not many people can go up against an Alpha and take that kind of damage without being _special_ in some way. You truly are the ultimate warrior.” He looked down at Faith and back to Derek, his stroking ceasing. “She would make an excellent edition to my pack, don’t you think? So much power in such a unique specimen, her blood practically sings with it. I have to say, it is pretty intoxicating.” He took a sniff of her hair, breathing her scent in deep. 

Faith struggled, flinching from Peter touching her. “Yeah,” she said through clenched teeth, “I’m a regular Scooby snack.” Peter tightened his grip once again, making her wince in pain.

A growl erupted from Derek again, bringing Peter’s attention from Faith to him. He could see that Derek’s entire concentration was on Faith. He took a moment to observe the silent exchange that seemed to be going on between his nephew and Faith. He gave a menacing smile when it clicked into place.

“Well, isn’t this sweet. The werewolf and the…,” he started.

“Shut. Up,” Derek warned, fangs elongating and eyes flashing blue.

Peter gave a small shake of his head. “It’s almost poetic, Shakespearean even… then again nephew, you always were one for tragedies” he grinned but it was tinged with rage rather than triumph. “Forever the tortured soul,” He sang sarcastically.

“Are you done?”

Red eyes flashed at Derek. Peter pulled Faith into him a little more, the hold on neck loosening as he moved his hand to her chin. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” he taunted, one clawed finger lightly scratching down her cheek. “Such pretty skin…,”Peter said; he almost sounded charming. He began to brush Faith’s hair back from around her shoulders. “…to mark…,” He looked up to see Derek’s eyes widen as he revealed the healing claw marks on her neck. “…to make _mine_.”

The roar that came from Derek reverberated throughout the silent hospital, echoing down the corridors. He took a step back and launched himself at Peter.

Peter growled back at him. He grabbed Faith by the back of the head, slamming her head first towards the wall, missing it completely and instead catching it on the edge of the door frame. Her body hit the floor mere inches from the nurse’s station where Stiles was crouched down and hidden; she was knocked out cold.

***

Stiles looked at Faith’s body in horror as she lay before him. Blood was seeping out from underneath her hair as she lay unconscious.

He could hear Derek and Peter tearing each other apart above him. There was debris flying everywhere and he’d had to make cover under the nurse’s desk. He could hear Peter telling Derek that he didn’t kill Laura on purpose as she was family, but could barely make out anything else as his ears were ringing and his entire attention was focussed on Faith in front of him.

When he heard the squeaking sounds of sneakers dragging along the floor and into a room behind him he crawled out from where he’d been ducking for cover; crawling straight to Faith. He shook her shoulder hard to try and rouse her but it wasn’t working. He knew he’d need to get her out of there before Peter came back and tried to finish what he started.

Stiles lifted Faith into a seated position, leaning her against the wall gently; her head rolled to the side showing Stiles that the blood was coming from another gash on her head. Her hair was matted with blood and was running down her neck to join with the rest of the blood from the claw marks.

He knew he wouldn’t be able to carry her out of the hospital easily but he was determined to at least try. Faith had saved him and he needed to do the same for her, and not freak out about what was happening between the two werewolves behind him or the noises that were coming from that room.

Stiles gently lifted Faith’s right arm and placed it around his own shoulders. With as much strength as he could muster, he pulled himself and Faith up from the floor and on to their feet. His knees buckled a little but he took a moment to get used to the extra weight. He let out a sigh of relief as Faith started to come around, moaning slightly at the constant moving around.

“Faith, can you hear me?” he whispered tentatively. “We need to get out of here.”

Faith groaned as her head fell forwards but Stiles could feel that she was standing on both feet and was attempting to help him. He gripped her around the waist with his free hand and started to walk down the corridor towards the exit; stumbling every few steps, causing him to shuffle Faith around a bit to make sure he took most of her weight.

Stiles refused to think about the carnage he was leaving behind or what the hell had happened to Derek. His concentration was on the exit sign at the end of the corridor and the glass doors to freedom. As he got closer he could hear Faith stirring more and by the time he’d made it to the doors, she was gripping his shoulder with her right arm whereas her left hand was gripping the hand he had tightly on her waist. She wasn’t speaking but he could hear her deep wheezing breaths.

As they left the hospital, Stiles looked around the deserted street and quickly made his way towards his jeep. He was exhausted from carrying Faith and knew he wouldn’t last much longer.

After carefully getting her into the passenger seat and he into the driver’s side, he took a moment to let everything sink in. Faith had her head laid back on the chair; her eyes were still closed but she was waking up slowly. Stiles looked down to his hands and could see them covered in blood; the street light illuminating the thick, sticky substance. He let out a shaky breath and looked behind him to the back seat, looking for something to wipe his hands on; he found an old t-shirt amongst the rubbish he’d accumulated over time. He cleaned his hands as best as he could and started the jeep, pulling away from the hospital and heading in the direction of home.

It was just as he turned onto his street that Faith woke up, eyes wide in fear. She sat up straight in the passenger seat gasping for breath and blinking rapidly. Stiles jumped, swerving slightly but gaining control of the jeep before an accident happened.

“Faith? Are you ok?” he asked as his eyes flicked from her to the road in front of him. He pulled into the driveway and killed the engine. He turned to face his cousin who looked as though she was still collecting her bearings. “You with me?” he asked softly.

Faith’s eyes turned to Stiles and he let out a small gasp – she looked scared. “Where is he?” she choked out, “Where’s Derek?”

Stiles shook his head. “I don’t know. After he attacked Peter… I don’t know. I heard them fighting but I was too busy getting you out of there to check.” When he received no reaction he asked again, “Are you ok?”

Faith let out a growl, pushing open the jeep door and getting out. She wavered slightly on her feet but she shook it off, slamming the jeep door.

“Hey!” Stiles cried out indignantly, getting out the jeep himself. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I need to go back,” Faith stated calmly.

Stiles reared back a little. “Excuse me? You _want_ to go back to that?” His arm flailing out in the direction of where they’d just come.

“We left him there!”

“Derek can take of himself. You on the other hand have blood everywhere. You aren’t helping anyone.” To prove his point, Faith started to sway slightly. Stiles shot forward, catching her awkwardly in his arms. “Derek will be fine,” He attempted to pacify her. “He sounded like he was winning.”

Faith gripped Stiles tightly, taking a second to ground herself before pulling back a little. “You are a bad liar, anyone ever tell you that?”

Stiles gave a small shrug of his shoulders. “Probably, if I let them get a word in edgeways,” he answered, giving her a small smile. Faith snorted at him. “He’ll be fine. I’m sure of it. We need to get you inside before the neighbours start curtain twitching.”

Faith conceded, giving him a small nod in agreement. With Stiles’ shoulder to lean on, they both made their way into the house.

“So kiddo, how bad does it look?” Faith asked as they carefully walked up the porch steps.

Stiles gave her a quick once over, grimacing before answering, “Bruised and bleeding. The usual Slayer special it seems.

Faith grinned, wincing as the cut in her lip pulled. “Sounds about right.”

“You know, I don’t think I have enough band aids to cover all of this,” he said, indicating to the multiple abrasions, cuts and wounds on Faith.

Faith gave a small shrug. “Could be worse.”

She leaned against the door frame as Stiles unlocked the front door. He glanced at her, “Can I just say that I hate that I now know how true that is.”

“Regretting me being here kiddo?” Faith raised an eyebrow in question at him. She took a step forward, stumbling slightly.

Stiles shook his head as he grasped hold of Faith again and helped walk her through the front door. He kicked the door closed behind him as they both walked towards the dining room. “Never."


	14. N is for Notice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** See Chapter 1.   
> **A/N:** Thanks to all of you who continue to read this and who understand what I am trying to achieve with this story. Love you all even if I never meet or speak to you! Anyhoo, another chapter and this will be the last one this year. Christmas is a busy time for me and I'll have no time for writing or sleeping it seems. I'll be posting again in the new year and hopefully will try and post more rather than once a month. Don't hold me to that as this year was supposed to be quiet and I ended up in hospital so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a quiet 2014.   
>  Always, a mahoosive thank you to Noturbaby.

**Chapter 14: N is for Notice**

Faith sat at the dining room table, her head laid on top of her crossed arms. Her head was swimming and she figured she probably had a slight concussion as she could feel the light tremors through her fingers but she wasn’t divulging that to Stiles; who was currently retrieving the now familiar, and newly stocked, first aid box from the kitchen. She could feel her hair was matted with blood and the sticky, thick residue was soaked into another one of her shirts. Stiles had once remarked that she wore black a lot and she had commented that it wasn’t just for style but for ease. You learned quickly after throwing out a couple of blood stained shirts that black was the go to colour for slaying. He’d mumbled that probably explained why Derek wore black mostly, and not, which he originally thought, that it was his soul manifesting itself on the outside.

She took a deep breath and allowed herself a moment to evaluate the evening’s events. She’d had her ass kicked – again – by the Alpha, Peter Hale. He’d knocked her out twice now and she couldn’t help but feel the blow to her ego and now that she knew who he was she wasn’t going to underestimate the bastard again.

Peter Hale knew she was a Slayer and the little creepy display he put on for Derek still made her skin crawl. The quips about her skin, the caressing, and being part of his pack brought bile to her throat. She vowed that if he even tried to bite her then she’d rip his fangs out one by one with her bare hands; the same if he decided to go for Stiles. She’d probably do worse if he went for Stiles but for now she trying really hard to focus on not getting even angrier.

She knew she was on the precipice and deep breathing was only doing so much but she knew that she couldn’t lose it in front of Stiles. Dealing with a pissed off werewolf was one thing but a pissed off Slayer was something else entirely and she could see he’d already been shaken by tonight’s events; he’d barely spoken once they crossed the door’s threshold.

Faith knew she had to keep a level head, even if all she wanted to do was grab every piece of weaponry she had brought with her and go after Peter. She cursed that she didn’t have the scythe with her, or that Dawn had refused to let her take it. The guilt she felt at leaving Derek behind was also eating away at her, fuelling her anger more. She really hoped he was alright and he hadn’t done anything stupid, or worse.

“Faith?” Stiles asked quietly, worry evident in his tone.

Faith raised her head, her chin now resting on her arms, and gazed up at her little cousin blankly. He looked tired, worried and stressed; the same look he had when he’d patched her up last time and her guilt increased with that thought, her fists clenched slightly.

“I’m fine kiddo,” she answered absently, not believing that she was even close to being fine. She raised herself up from her arms, sitting back in the chair.

“I’m not the only bad liar you know,” Stiles said as he took a seat in front of her. He placed the first aid box on the table and began to pull out the contents, avoiding making any eye contact with her.

“You want the truth, huh?” Faith snorted, crossing her arms defiantly as Stiles looked up at her. “Why? Will it set me free? Make everything instantly all better?” she snapped at him. When Stiles remained silent, unable to give her an answer she continued, “Do you want to know how close I am to just walking out of this house, going back to that hospital and ripping Peter Hale apart?” She stood, pushing herself back from the chair, her hands placed on the table. “I haven’t slayed anything since I’ve got here and considering I could average three or four vamps a night and a big bad every other week then you can probably tell that _this_ ,” she indicated to the space around her, “isn’t the norm for me. I’ve had my ass handed to me not once, but twice by that fucker and I would like nothing more than to hunt the bastard down and take him apart like he’s done to all his other victims,” she paused as she watched Stiles eyes widen at her confession. She figured she’d started so she carried on with her open honesty, “I’m also pissed that I couldn’t do anything but watch as he had me trapped. I could have tried to take him down and maybe he’d have ripped my throat out but what stopped me wasn’t my own safety… but yours. I die then he’d have gone after you and I couldn’t let that happen.” Faith sighed deeply, sagging down into the chair. “There’s a reason Slayers were taken from their families. No contact, no nothing.”

“We’re a distraction,” Stiles surmised. His gaze was settled on the table top, shoulders hunched, “A liability.”

Faith hung her head. “Yeah,” she whispered. She looked at Stiles’ dejected posture and winced slightly. “But if something had happened to you and I wasn’t here then I’d never forgive myself,” she confessed softly, “but I am here and if I have to get my ass kicked a couple of times to protect you then that’s what I’ll do. It doesn’t make me happy and maybe a little angry.” She gave a small laugh at the dubious expression from Stiles. “Ok, really angry but I’m not gonna regret being here or getting involved in all this shit. I’m not pissed at you, you have to know that. I’m pissed at myself more than anything.”

“For feeling weak?” Stiles asked curiously.

Faith shook her head. “Nah, I’m finally realising how Buffy felt all those years trying to protect her mom and Dawn from everything. I just have to adjust to it that’s all. Besides, it’s easier with you. Dawn got herself kidnapped more often than not and caused far more trouble.”

“You haven’t been here long enough to assume that,” Stiles grinned.

“I hope not,” Faith matched his grin with one of her own. “You don’t need to patch me up this time kiddo. A shower to get rid of all the blood will be fine.”

Stiles eyed Faith warily. “You sure? You have a pretty nasty head wound. You might have a concussion. Oh God, what if you have brain damage or something?”

“I’m no longer dizzy and all I have is a throbbing headache. This will all heal, remember?” Faith said, indicating to all the cuts and bruises that adorned her neck. She hadn’t looked at them yet but she could feel that they were there every time she moved her neck; Peter’s claws had probably done a real number on her this time. She raised herself from the chair. “You gonna be ok down here while I shower?”

Stiles nodded as he snapped the first aid box closed before getting out of his own chair. “I’ll just put this back then and try and clean myself up a bit.”

Faith disappeared with another nod, heading up stairs for a much needed shower and some quiet time alone where she could gather her thoughts and figure out what the hell they were going to do. She appeared later, freshly showered, wearing sweats and a worn Sunnydale High hoodie she had swiped from Dawn before she left Cleveland. The hoodie was large enough that it covered most of the bruises on her neck and her hair covered the rest; the only thing anyone would be able to see would be the cut on her lip which was nearly healed as it hadn’t been so deep. The bump on her head was still there and slightly tender, something she quickly realised when attempting to wash her hair and the open wound was now clotted closed and hidden beneath her hair. She’d long since stopped bleeding but it still slightly unnerved her when she watched her blood slowly disappearing down the plug hole with all the shower water.

“Fresh, clean and good as new,” she shouted as she walked downstairs. She walked around to find Stiles standing at the kitchen sink, his back to her. She could hear the water running and he looked to be washing his hands. As she edged closer, she could see the steam coming from the water and the intense way Stiles was focussed on cleaning his hands. “Stiles?”

She quickly moved around him as she watched his shoulders give a small shake, turning off the facet and spinning Stiles around to face her. She grabbed his wet hands, red and raw from the severe scouring they had received, which had him looking up at her in shock.

“Hey, Stiles. You ok kiddo?” Faith asked softly. When she received no answer, she grabbed the towel from beside them and began to dry his hands carefully. “You want to tell me what this is about?”

Stiles watched her closely as she gently dried off his hands. “There was blood and I couldn’t get it off,” he finally choked out. “It wouldn’t go away.”

Faith glanced at him worriedly. “Well, it’s gone now. See,” she pulled his hands from the towel, throwing it back where she got it and carefully clasped his hands, holding them palm up to show him they were blood free. “Nothing there anymore.”

Stiles pulled his hands back, rubbing them together anxiously. “I don’t know why… I mean, it’s not the first time but…,” he tried to express. “I didn’t react like this last time.”

“Shock maybe or something like it. There’s probably a long scientific name for it somewhere and Giles probably knows it,” Faith said. “You haven’t had blood on your hands before. It affects people differently. It’s ok.”

“It doesn’t feel ok,” Stiles whispered. “It didn’t feel right having your blood all over my hands. I just kept thinking that I had to get rid of it.” He looked up at her with wide questioning eyes, “How do you get used to it?”

Faith frowned, her attention focussed on her own hands. “You don’t. I’m not worried about what just happened. I’d be seriously worried if you hadn’t reacted at all.”

“You didn’t,” Stiles pointed out, his gaze locked at his feet.

“Of course I didn’t with you here,” she stated, rolling her eyes at him, “and I’ll deal with it later. Now, you…,” she was interrupted by the front door opening and slamming shut.

“Faith! Stiles!” Her uncle’s voice came from the hall. “Anyone home?”

Stiles looked up to Faith in fear. She grasped his shoulders tightly, reassuring. They’d both forgot in the ensuing chaos of the night about Stiles’ game or that her uncle was going to be there and sounded as though he’d been looking for them.

“In here Uncle Stan,” Faith shouted as Stiles’ eyes widened; his head shaking violently from side to side. “Follow my lead,” she whispered calmly, “and don’t worry.”

Faith turned as her uncle paused in the doorway to the kitchen. “Hey Uncle Stan, what’s up?” she smiled.

“What’s up is I just came back from the game, you know Stiles, the game you were supposed to be playing first line in and instead I find you both here. Care to explain?” The Sheriff asked, looking from Stiles to Faith.

“It’s my fault,” Faith said, bring her uncle’s attention on her and away from Stiles. “I went out for a run before the game, and I stupidly wasn’t looking where I was going and well, I kinda ended up having an accident,” she easily explained. When seeing the concerned look from her uncle she continued, “Everything is fine now and I’m ok but I needed Stiles’ help as I took a nasty bump to the head.”

At the mention of Stiles’ name, the Sheriff looked to him. “Stiles?” the Sheriff questioned, arms crossing as he leaned against the doorframe.

Stiles followed Faith’s lead effortlessly. “Yeah, I was just leaving when Faith called and I kind of panicked.”  
“And you didn’t think to give me a call to let me know what happened?” The Sheriff admonished them both.

“My battery died and you know how this one is,” Faith elbowed Stiles lightly with a smile, “he’s always leaving his phone everywhere or obviously we would have called. However, Stiles was great and brought me home. As far as he’s checked I still have all my marbles and no damage other than a knot to the back of my head.” She lowered her head slightly in supposed shame, “We’re sorry but it’s kinda embarrassing having to admit my kid cousin saved my ass because I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

Faith watched her uncle melt a little at her act and her guilt twisted even further in her gut. She didn’t like lying to her uncle, even if she had gotten exceptionally good at it over the years, but she knew that it still wasn’t the best time to let him in on everything. Stiles looked like he was going to have a coronary when he’d heard his dad’s voice and she knew she was protecting him more than herself at this point.

“If you’re sure,” the Sheriff eyed them both dubiously. “You don’t want me to call Melissa McCall and see if she can look you over?”

Faith waved him off. “I’m good but I’ll keep you posted if that changes. I was just heading to bed before you got in and was apologising to Stiles for causing him to miss his game. I know how much he was looking forward to it,” she admitted sincerely, looking at Stiles. “I am really sorry kiddo.”

Stiles gave a small shrug of his shoulders. “You would have done the same for me. I didn’t really do much.”

“Ignore him Uncle Stan. He saved me from being left out there all night,” she said with a smile, draping her arm across Stiles’ shoulders, pulling him tightly to her in a one armed hug. “You should be proud.”

The Sheriff smiled at them both. “I am, but next time, and I hope there isn’t, call me. Being the Sheriff means I fear the worst and as a parent, worse than that.”

Faith gave him a nod. “It won’t happen again.”

“Well, I have to get back to work as I only got the time off for the game. If you two are good here then I’m going to head off.”

“Stiles was just telling me how he was going to see Scott. This is all my fault so I hope he’s not in too much trouble.”

Faith really hoped that Stiles’ coach wasn’t too harsh with him. She’d heard from Stiles and Scott that he was a bit of a nut job and had severe emotional issues, anger and sarcasm being the main two but she’d already decided that she’d deal with Stiles’ coach if did punish Stiles for missing the game. She dealt with anger and sarcasm on a daily basis in Cleveland from teenage girls, a high school coach would be a piece of cake.

“Well, Scott was heading to the locker room the last time I saw him so I’d check there first. Now I do really need to be heading out.” The Sheriff hugged Faith a moment before clasping Stiles on the shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “You did good son.”

Stiles blushed, lowering his head. “Thanks dad. Faith makes it sound more than it was.”

“I’ll be home late. Love you both.”

The Sheriff gave them both a small wave before heading back out, leaving them alone in the kitchen. It wasn’t until they heard the cruiser engine start and the car leave that Stiles and Faith let out a breath.

“You normally feel like this when you lie to your dad?” Faith asked Stiles as she leaned back against the countertop.

“Sweaty palms, heart racing and the constant need to have him just call you out on your bullshit before you burst under the scrutiny? Yeah,” Stiles affirmed. “You’re pretty good though, he didn’t even give you the third degree or the stink eye.”

“Perks of being a Slayer is you get really good at lying, as well as awesome health insurance,” Faith joked. “I have a feeling that we just got away with that. I don’t think he’ll believe another one.”

Stiles shook his head. “He can’t ever know. If he knew then he’d get involved and if something happened…,” he rushed out.

“If you’re involved then he’s involved kiddo. It’s all a matter of time and he’d probably rather know before it’s too late and don’t think I don’t get it, I do, more than you know,” she said, crossing her arms and facing Stiles. “I’ll go along with it for now,” she relented to the worried expression from him.

Stiles nodded solemnly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Thanks.”

“No more freak outs?” Faith queried. “I tend to suck at the emotional heart to hearts but I will listen if you need to talk. You know you aren’t on your own anymore kiddo, right?”

“Right,” Stiles agreed, giving a nod. “No more freak outs and thanks for before.” He nodded to the sink behind him.

Faith gave a soft shrug. “It happens. Now, I wasn’t lying about you going to find Scott. He needs to know what’s going on before Peter decides he wants a reunion with his protégé.” Stiles nodded at her again as he walked with Faith to the front door. “And Stiles,” she stopped at the threshold of the doorway, “be careful.”

“I will.”

Before Stiles could head out he was stopped by Faith’s hand on his arm. He turned his gaze to her in question.  
“I am sorry about your game,” she expressed regretfully. As Stiles went to speak she quickly added, “I mean it and I’ll make it up to you.”

Stiles shrugged. “It was only one game and there will always be others. I only have one of you.” Faith gave him a small smile as he proceeded on his journey to his jeep. “Besides,” he called out as he opened the driver’s side door, “you’re way more important than some stupid game… Just don’t tell Coach I said that,” he added hastily as he got in.

Faith watched as he drove off, giving a small prayer for his safety. She knew he’d be fine but it made her feel a little better for doing it. She closed the door behind her, locking it before turning all the lights in the house off and making her way upstairs to her bedroom. While she hadn’t been lying about needing sleep, she had hastened to mention that she was a little off and the throbbing from her head was beginning to bother her.

When she approached the last step she heard a faint thud from her bedroom that had her senses on full alert. She rushed towards her bedroom door, pushing it open with a little more force than she wanted as she heard it slam against the wall.

Faith was met with Derek attempting to escape out the open window but had only gotten half way; a familiar black duffle bag was clinched in his hands.

“Well, when most of my one night stands would sneak out the next day they would have the common decency to at least not know my name,” she said heatedly, switching on the bedroom light, illuminating them both. “It makes it easy for both parties. You, on the other hand, know my name and if I recall clearly, snuggled with me for most of the night.” She paused, watching as Derek pulled himself back into the room; his back was to her and his shoulders hunched over. Faith thought he looked almost apologetic in his stance but she ignored it as she disappointedly said, “I have to say Hale, this kinda hurts.”

***

Derek stood with his back to Faith, unwilling to turn around and see the disappointment he was sure to see in her expression. He had figured that he would be in and out within seconds but he hadn’t counted on her hearing him or moving as fast she did, then again he should have. He figured that all the mental face palming he’s been doing lately in regards to Faith Lehane was soon going to start leaving a mark.

He turned slightly to see Faith watching him carefully as if any sudden move she made would have him running; she wasn’t wrong. He knew that she probably had questions and he definitely had a few of his own.

It was with a deep sigh that he turned to face her fully, dropping the duffle to floor at his feet. They both stood in silence; Faith taking in Derek’s entire demeanour, looking for some clue as to what had happened after she left the hospital, whereas Derek was cataloguing each and every one of Faith’s injuries. He couldn’t see all of them but he knew they were there; the scent of her blood permeated the air around them. The thing that suddenly struck him was the rate at which the visible wounds were healing. He’d known in the hospital that her head wound had been bad from the amount of blood coursing down her neck and the cut on her lip had been more prominent and would have taken a while to heal… for a human.

“What are you?” He asked finally, breaking the silence between them. He took a step forward but stopped as he watched Faith narrow her eyes at him.

Faith sighed, finally surrendering herself to the inevitable. “I suppose this is a good a time as any, right? Tell you who I am before Peter does.”

Derek shook his head. “He wouldn’t tell me anything. We had… other things to discuss.” Derek wasn’t mentioning that he kept Peter’s attention as far away from Faith as he could. He didn’t like that Peter knew who she was, or rather, what she was and he certainly didn’t like his uncle’s ideas for her either; he could barely contain his anger that he’d marked her, he didn’t want to think what he’d do if he bit her.

“Like the fact he killed your sister or that he bit an innocent kid, or maybe, that he’s been killing off members of the public like some kind of serial killer?” Faith spat at him. “No? Tell me, what the hell made you not want to kill him?”

“It was an accident. It happens sometimes,” Derek said blankly.

Faith reeled, shocked at his words and that he was showing less emotion than normal; she didn’t think that could be possible. “It happens sometimes?” she repeated. “You heard that, right? You actually heard those words that came out of your mouth?”

“He’s family!” Derek growled at her.

“He killed Laura!” Faith argued.

“You know nothing!” Derek shouted. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. “He told me what happened that night and…,”

Faith gave a short laugh, interrupting him. “He’s lying to you.”

“So are you,” Derek countered back. “I’m pretty sure I heard Peter call you a warrior. Care to explain that or was he lying about that too?”

“I remember that fine,” Faith said with a sneer. “It was around the same time he was stroking me like a damn pet!” She couldn’t help the smirk when Derek let out a small growl. “Yeah, I wasn’t the only one who didn’t like that. He bad touches me again and I’ll declaw him, permanently.”

“Doesn’t hide the fact that he was right and he was, wasn’t he?”

Faith gave a non-committal shrug. “Warrior, soldier, it’s all the same thing, except I’m neither. I’m, we’re, different.”

“We?” Derek asked, pushing her more information.

“Once upon a time there used to be only one. Then there were two, and now… now there’s an army of us all over the world,” Faith explained wearily, settling herself against the wall behind her. “Bear with me as I tend to leave Dawn and Andrew to this shit, but I think it goes something like this. Into every generation blah, blah, blah, one girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the … strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of yadda, yadda,” she rattled off, absently waving her hand around. She continued on, “Something or other to do with bad guys… to stop the spread of their evil and whatnot. She is the…”

“Slayer,” Derek choked out. He took an involuntary step back as Faith looked at him in shock.

“You know of Slayers?” Faith pushed herself off the wall and took a step towards Derek. “How the hell do you know…?” she trailed off as she watched Derek stepping back from her, his eyes wide with shock and fear. She stopped, raising her hands up in a placating gesture. “Hey, are you…?” Faith shook her head at him; she knew fear when she saw it and she couldn’t believe that Derek was afraid of her. “Derek… Do you think I’m going to hurt you?”

Derek shook his head but Faith could see that he was alert and looked as though he was ready to jump through the window. To prove her point, she took another step forward, watching as Derek moved back further.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” she said calmly, slightly hurt that he would think she would change in the three seconds it took for him to find out what she was.

“Slayers are extremely dangerous,” he pointed out. “There’s been tales, stories of them murdering wolves.” He shook his head slightly. “They were just myths, legends passed down except... You aren’t supposed to be real.”

Faith gave a slight movement of her shoulders. “You’re looking at a living legend right here.” She received a disdainful look in return. “Sorry, I couldn’t help it. Derek, murdering isn’t their style, believe me. They frown upon stuff like that. It makes them look bad,” she said simply. She took a step toward him again, hands still raised in peace. “Can you please stop looking at me like that?”

“Like what?” he asked, eying her warily. He watched every step she made towards him.

“Like I’ve suddenly went from your friend to the enemy. I’m not your enemy. I haven’t been your enemy the entire time I’ve been here.” Faith stopped when she got as close as he was allowing her to get without bolting.

“What the hell am I supposed to think? You come out with the fact that you are a Slayer. Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? You are just some bedtime story. You just can’t be.”

“Any ideas on what you think I can be?” she asked. “Stiles had more than a few ideas before I told him. Of course, they were all superheroes of some sort. I kinda liked the thought of being a Jedi but he nixed that when he realised I didn’t have force powers or a lightsaber.”

“This isn’t funny.” He pointed angrily at her.

“It depends on your definition of funny, but it doesn’t change the fact that I am a Slayer. I have been now for over eight years and I’m pretty fucking good at it.”

Derek shook his head at her, pinching the bridge of his nose. “This is insane.”

“Let’s look at the evidence, shall we? I can heal pretty fast, as I know you’ve noticed. See.” Faith held up her wrists, allowing the arms of the hoodie to pull back, showing Derek they were bruise free now after the incident in the car from the night before. “Not a mark. They were gone before I woke up this morning. I nearly put you through a wall and don’t forget the tree too. I took quite a beating from your uncle – twice - and I’m still standing. Shall I go on with how I can surprise you at every turn or maybe that I knew what you were the moment I laid my hands on you?”

“Is that why you are here?” He asked. “You came here to kill the Alpha?”

Faith gave her head a small shake, stepping back from Derek. “I checked this place out before I got here and there was nothing to hint about werewolves or even the killings. Then again, I was looking at it from a Hellmouth point of view but it still stands that I found nothing and then I get here and find Stiles up to his neck in werewolf business.” She fell back against the wall, sliding down until she sat on the floor. “I came to meet the family I hadn’t seen in years because the moment I was shown the world of vampires and demons I made the decision to cut them completely out of my life. Stiles was just a little kid and it would be cruel to involve my aunt and uncle in a world they knew nothing about and would probably get them killed” She gave a short, sharp laugh. “Funny how it caught up to them anyway.”

“So, that’s why you stayed away; to protect them from you,” Derek concluded, sitting down, opposite Faith, his back to the wall and the window above him. “Makes sense.”

At that moment Stiles’ ringtone went off, the sound coming from the pocket of Faith’s sweatpants. She grabbed it, pressing the button to answer it, putting it on loudspeaker. She figured that now Derek knew she didn’t have to hide anything anymore.

“Yeah kiddo, everything ok?” She asked.

Stiles voice reverberated through the quiet room. “I found Scott at the school. We have a serious problem. Peter and Derek got to him first.”

Faith’s gaze shot to Derek, her mouth pressed in a hard line. Derek stood swiftly, preparing to leave but Faith had him pinned against the window, one hand on his chest and the other still clasping the phone before he could even turn to go.

“Stay right where you are,” she mouthed to him, eyes narrowing. He could feel the heat of her hand through his shirt and a slight tremble which he attributed to her anger; he gave in without a fight. He knew she was just as protective of Scott as she was of Stiles and going after him tonight had crossed a serious line.

“He isn’t hurt?” she asked Stiles, her eyes never leaving Derek.

“Not physically,” Stiles answered, as Faith glared harder at Derek. “But they want Scott as part of their pack. Apparently Derek has gone over to the darkside, like the big traitor he is. I saw that coming from a mile away.” Faith and Derek both rolled their eyes at the phone. “Peter nearly brain fried Scott by giving him his memories or something. He’s kind of out of it so I’m taking him home.”

 

“Good. Stay with him and both of you come here in the morning.”

“You sure? What if Peter and Derek come for you next? Peter knows what you are now and what if he...,” Stiles panicked.

“They won’t,” Faith said confidently, she raised her eyebrow to Derek in a silent question, ‘Will he?’ Derek shook his head in answer. “Get Scott home and I’ll see you both tomorrow.” Faith hung up without hearing Stiles reply, discarding her phone onto the bed.

“Before you say anything…,” Derek tried to explain to her.

“Oh like, I’m going to kill your uncle and if you try and stop me I’ll kill you too?” Faith answered, pushing away from him.

“You won’t hurt me,” Derek stated, arms crossed, daring her to deny it.

“That was until you hurt Scott,” Faith reasoned. “You hurt him, I hurt you. It goes the same for anyone I care about.”

“I didn’t touch him.”

“Peter did,” Faith pointed to him, eyes narrowing again. “And I bet you stood by and did nothing.”

“You wouldn’t understand. Pack is family, it’s everything. Peter is the only family I’ve got left,” Derek said, pushing himself from the window.

“He’s killed people,” Faith shouted, as Derek huffed at her. “Innocent or not, he’s now got blood on his hands and I can’t ignore that. He nearly killed me at the school and you too or did you forget that? How about that he’s trying to get Scott to kill his friends?”

Derek paced the length of the window. “That wasn’t him. That was the wolf, instinct. He didn’t know what he was doing.”

Faith’s eyes followed Derek’s steps. She could see he was trying not to let his temper rise but she needed him to see the truth and so she pushed him further. “That’s not an excuse. He took human lives. It changes you.”

“Like you would know?” Derek paused in his pacing, facing her. “A Slayer doesn’t murder, isn’t that what you said? They kill vampires, demons and every other supernatural creature out there. Humans aren’t something you deal with, is it?” He moved towards her.

Faith shook her head slowly. “I know a hell of a lot better than you do. Have you killed a human, Derek? Killed an innocent? Truly taken a life and felt no remorse? That is something you don’t come back from and if you do, you will always carry a piece of darkness with you, haunting your every waking moment. It changes you from deep within and there is no excuse. It’s damnation and Peter is far beyond redemption.” Faith got up to see Derek watching her with wide and questioning eyes; she could see his desire for answers. “What? Does that shock you Derek Hale? I’m no saint and I never said I was.” She let out a breath. “I’m proof that when a Slayer goes bad, she goes truly evil.” She looked at Derek with tired eyes. “You got anywhere to be tonight?” she asked him.

Derek shook his head. “I’ve already hit my scare quota for today,” he said dryly. “Do you think we’ll have this heart to heart and everything will be  
fine, it won’t.”

She gave him a small smile. “Probably not but ever since I met you I’ve had the compulsion to tell you everything. I nearly spilled my guts, figuratively of course, in the kitchen today but Stiles really does have the most perfect timing.”

“That’s not entirely true,” Derek grinned at her. “I clearly remember the kitchen going in a different direction from talking.”

“Fuck you very much with the flirting right now. Where was that in the beginning?” Derek merely gave her a shrug in response. “And actually I do mean the truth. It’s time you knew.” Faith sat back down on the floor, legs stretched out in front of her and her back against the bottom of her bed.

She looked up at Derek, patting the space beside her. “I suggest you get comfy, we’re going to be here a while.”

Derek sighed, making a show of rolling his eyes before removing his leather jacket and sitting down beside Faith, mimicking her position. “This is stupid. What makes you think I’m going to believe anything you say?”

Faith placed her hand to her heart, giving it a light tap. “Because you’ll _know_ ,” she indicated. “Besides, not even Stiles knows everything yet. There will be a time and place for that to happen and the time for you is now.”

Derek shrugged. “Nothing you can tell me will change this or make me think differently.”

“Is that so, huh?” He nodded at her as she smirked. “I think you’ll find that who I used to be, what I’ve done, makes hunters like Kate Argent look like baby faced amateurs in comparison.” Derek stared at her cautiously; unable to form words.

“I think it’s best if I start from the beginning…,” she began.

***

Sheriff Stilinski sat at his desk in his quiet office, the only source of light from the lamp behind him, as he poured over the statement from Adrian Harris. He’d questioned his son’s Chemistry teacher before going to the lacrosse game but hadn’t figured on what he would be told. Six years ago, Adrian Harris had, in his inebriated stated, told some mysterious woman how easy it was to commit arson and get away with it.

The Sheriff had been angry that Harris had kept it a secret for so long, all the while knowing that his disclosure had most likely been the instigator for the Hale house burning down. The Sheriff had known for years that the Hale house fire wasn’t an open and shut case but with no hard evidence to prove it or any evidence really, there was nothing he could do. He hadn’t been Sheriff six years ago and could only go by what they had found; those images from that day still plagued him and the haunted faces of Derek and Laura Hale as they were told about the demise of their entire family. He had never wanted to think of what he would do if he lost someone he loved but that was to happen years later when he lost his wife.

Now, it turns out that it was no accident, which meant a new investigation and thanks to Harris, they had a lot more than before. The crude image that Harris had drawn for him of her necklace was the only real lead they had to the mysterious woman but at least it was something. The murders in town looked to be likely part of the case but there was nothing tying it together just yet and all he had to go on was gut instinct.

The sudden reappearance of Laura Hale and her subsequent death showed that she may have been onto something and was taken out because of what she may or may not have known. He never believed that Derek Hale killed his sister, despite the evidence that Stiles and Scott had literally unearthed but he still had to do his job. It helped that the kid had one hell of an alibi and hadn’t even been in Beacon Hills the night his sister had died; the multiple speeding tickets he had received in different states had saved his ass. It still begged the question; did Laura tell her brother what she had discovered? Even if she had, the Sheriff had no probable cause to approach the guy and ask. Still, they were yet to find him after the episode at the school. The Sheriff knew that there was a whole other story about that night and that something didn’t ring true with the statement the kids had given him, just like the parent/teacher night with the mountain lion. He knew he wasn’t as oblivious as to what was happening as some people thought he was, he noticed things a lot more often than not but it was hard to do your job when people were lying to you constantly. The Sheriff was lumping Stiles into that category even though it pained him to do so.

Even with all this new information it was still giving them more questions than answers but the Sheriff would take what he could get at this moment. He had the safety of the people of the town as well as his superiors to worry about.

It didn’t help that things had been getting weird in town, in spite of the current death toll, and he knew, call it a sixth sense, that his son knew something about it and was probably up to his eyeballs with it too and after tonight, he suspected that his niece knew something also.

They may not have been lying outright tonight about the real reason as to why Stiles missed his game but he was a parent first and foremost and he was calling bullshit on the pair of them. He could have called them out on it but the bond they now shared meant that neither was willing to give up the other; he’d be happy about their protectiveness of each other if he didn’t find it so exasperating.

The Sheriff loved his niece dearly and had missed her after all those years but he couldn’t help but notice a few things about her. It wasn’t anything he worried about per se, it was more that he had a feeling there was something else to her back story that she wasn’t telling. At first he thought she may have military training considering her habit about situating herself in a room so that she was facing the door or that she always had her back to the wall and would silently survey her surroundings, but after a while he came to the understanding that military life didn’t fit Faith at all. It was too disciplined and straight laced and she rarely graced the morning with her presence if she could help it. The running and training for hours had concerned him until he realised there was more to it than just getting fit; he could see her entire demeanour change after she’d been out for a couple of hours, becoming more relaxed and calm. Her knife skills when she’d first cooked them a meal had raised his eyebrows and Stiles if he remembered and not because they were worried she’d also adorned the Stilinski curse and was a bad cook, quite the contrary. She’d joked that a friend of hers was a chef and taught her a few things. He hadn’t questioned any of it separately but together – some things weren’t adding up.

It wasn’t that Faith hadn’t been very forth coming with her life, she had, and had told him about her job as a teacher at a prestigious girls school in Cleveland and about her travels around the world but whenever he’d mention her past or where she’d been all these years he would notice a wary look in her eye. He’d figured that it was because she was upset that they’d not kept in contact with her through the years but she’d reassured him several times that she’d understood and didn’t hold it against them.

It wasn’t until tonight that he’d really put any thought that there was something more to his niece. She was a good at the details of a story, keep them simple and no one will question you, unless your uncle is a sheriff and his son is Stiles Stilinski. There was a story there and the cop in him was determined to find out what it was.

He’d remembered when he and his wife, Stella had been told that Faith had been taken into foster care, it had been too late. His sister-in-law wasn’t exactly forth coming with any information and after a lot of searching they had finally found out that Faith had been taken in by some unknown aunt and moved abroad. Stella had tried so many times to get in contact and retain some sort of relationship with her only niece but it had proved futile and after his wife’s illness had been diagnosed, they’d had to stop and the Sheriff knew it had broken his wife’s heart to do it.

Faith had grown into a beautiful woman and it had been disconcerting at first when he first saw her step out of her car that she’d gotten both her mother’s and aunt’s looks. He’d quickly become used to it and had been surprised that Stiles had too and now she fitted in so well with them. She came across as respectful, smart, had a sense of humour like Stiles’ and could give it out just as easily as take it. He was still undecided about whether the both of them together would ever be a good thing after they ganged up on him about eating healthy.

He’d been more than happy that Faith and Stiles had grown close. Sure, he’d been a bit apprehensive but Stiles had been surprising in his enthusiasm to have his only cousin come and stay with them and had made a point to clean the house and get her room ready for her arrival.

The Sheriff had felt bad that he hadn’t been able to spend a lot of time with Faith and hoped she hadn’t felt neglected, but it wasn’t until he’d arrived home late one night and had caught her with Scott and Stiles in the living room arguing with them about how ‘button mashing’ was a skill that he could see the relationship she’d built with both, that he needn’t have worried. He had no idea what they had been talking about but it looked to do with whatever the game they were playing on the TV and had watched them fire arguments back and forth with Scott as spectator. It turned out that Faith had kept beating them and Stiles was now pouting about it whereas Scott hadn’t looked so bothered. The Sheriff had quietly watched them for a while and after Faith had grabbed Stiles in a playful headlock, knuckles rubbing his head and had told him that she knew he loved her and he’d agreed, trying hard to sound reluctant, all with Scott laughing at them that he’d left the trio to it and had proceeded to go upstairs, a smile on his face and a warm feeling in his heart.

As much as he’d love for Faith to stay with them, he knew that she had a life somewhere else and responsibilities, to the students she taught and her employers. He knew Stiles probably wouldn’t handle her leaving and he could be honest and say the he wouldn’t either.

It just didn’t help that with the secrecy tonight and the hesitance to talk about her past was clouding his mind.

It was with a deep sigh that he pushed those thoughts to the side and concentrated on the problem at hand, who really burnt down the Hale house all those years ago and why?

***

Derek sat beside Faith in complete and utter silence. He’d been physically unable to make any sound as he’d listened to Faith talk about her life and about who she really was. It was one thing to hear about Slayers in stories… but to actually hear from a Slayer herself was astounding. Being a werewolf, he knew there were other creatures out there however the sheer amount that was unnerving.

His unease about her being a Slayer had quickly dissipated after he begun to accept what she was telling him and the tales of what she’d gone up against began to unfold; the revelation that sparkly vampires were just as fictitious as the story they were from was somewhat comforting. He’d never actually come across a vampire, he didn’t want to either but it was still good to know what he would be dealing with.

He didn’t really know where to begin with his thoughts on what he was being told. He hadn’t really expected her to tell him everything but she had; only stopping after she’d gotten to her arrival at Beacon Hills and had drifted off to sleep soon after. He didn’t know how to feel or if he could really feel anything at this point and yet he couldn’t bear to stop her at any point; the need to know had outweighed his desire not to.

Her admission in the beginning that she had been worse than Kate Argent had had him wanting to argue the contrary but the tales of her time in Sunnydale with the mayor, in Los Angeles, even the torturing and finally her reasons for going to jail had him quickly conceding. Regardless though, he knew deep down that she would never be, and was never like Kate. Kate was as far beyond any kind of atonement as any person could get in his opinion and he thought the same of himself. Derek could tell from her words alone that she was truly regretful of the mistakes she’d made and that ever since she’d accepted what had happened to her she’d been making sure to not let it rule her life and shape her future.

Derek was more shocked about the Slayer and Council life in general. With Faith being one of the oldest Slayers who’d ever lived, considering that most Slayers lived about two or three years max and even then they had to be pretty good, was a surprise. It was like a punch to the gut when Derek realised that Faith would most likely die young, should have and there wouldn’t really be anything he could do about it. He didn’t think when Stiles found that out he’d accept it as easily Faith had obviously done at some point in her life; Derek was having trouble himself but he’d forced himself not to show it.

Dawn was barely rising when Derek snapped out of his thoughts; realising suddenly that he’d been there the entire night. Faith looked vulnerable as she was tucked into his side as close as she could get without sitting on his lap, her right hand clasped tightly in his. He didn’t know exactly when he’d taken her hand but he knew it was between the time her friend, her sister Slayer as she called her, Buffy had stabbed her for trying to kill her boyfriend and then watched as Faith had jumped off a roof to escape and when months later she’d finally broken apart in the arms of a vampire called Angel; his hand had wound around her clenched fists unconsciously as she’d fought to get the words out.

The scars had been the hardest not to react to. He had no physical scars himself but enough emotional ones that were etched into his own soul. Faith’s scars and her blasé attitude to them were disconcerting for him and he’d longed to reach out and runs his fingertips over the one on her stomach that attributed to her being in a coma for eight months, but it was Peter’s own marks that had him biting back a growl.

Now, he was unsure of what to do. He’d told Faith that nothing would change but it had and would forever be. She’d shared her entire life with him in one night, something she hadn’t even told her own family, all the while knowing that he may never do the same. She trusted him enough and it seemed she had wanted to tell him since they’d met and he could admit that he had the same sort of feeling. He wasn’t judging her for her past and hadn’t at all that night but he couldn’t believe she would do the same for him once she found out about everything.

Derek didn’t even know how to tell Faith that he agreed with her about everything she’d said about Peter. He knew his uncle was lying to him and was no longer the man he remembered from years ago but a monster hell bent on revenge. Peter killed Laura and he would never forgive him regardless of what reasons he’d given to him hours before. His alliance with Peter was to make sure that he could keep an eye on him and to keep him as far from Faith as he could. Pure and simple.

Yet, Derek knew without a shadow of a doubt that Faith was going to go after Peter and kill him, and the question was – would he … could he let her? Or, could he do it himself and save her the trouble? Then again, he knew killing Peter himself would bring a whole heap of new problems but they paled in comparison as to what was happening now.

Derek yawned as he felt Faith curl snugly into his side seeking warmth. He squeezed her hand, smiling a little when she returned it even in her deep sleep. He guessed he had a few more hours before he’d need to leave and he wasn’t looking to getting back to Peter any time soon. Derek settled back against the bed further, his cheek resting gently on top of Faith’s head as he closed his eyes. He exhaled deeply as he allowed sleep to claim him.


	15. O is for Opening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** See Chapter 1.  
>  **A/N:** I'm back... in pjs! I'm so sorry it's taken so long to update. I took a hiatus over the Christmas period and it turned into months. I honestly didn't think it would last that long. Anyhoo, thanks to all of you who have emailed me and reviewed and who are still reading. Also to you new readers!  
>  Yeah, you will notice a lot of Star Wars references. I'm not going to apologise for it. lol  
> Always, a mahoosive thank you to Noturbaby. I can't think if anything bigger than a parade to give you. Answers on a postcard people!

**Chapter 15: O is for Opening**

Derek was roused from his sleep by the suspicious sound of rustling.  He raised his head quickly; moving from where it had been laid atop Faith’s. He scanned the room expecting to see Stiles… or worse, the Sheriff, but found nothing. The room was empty and he quickly identified that the only heartbeats in the house were his and Faith’s however the rustling sound was still there.

“If I’d known that when I come to call on Faith that I would find this disgustingly cute display then… nah, I’d have still done it but probably taken a hell of a lot of more pictures and maybe a video but you woke before I could do that,” a familiar voice broke out in the room. “Rude.”

Derek turned his head sharply to the open laptop on Faith’s chest of drawers and the familiar face now on screen.  He sighed, rolling his eyes a moment before giving the young woman on screen a slight glare; more for waking him and having him move from his comfortable position than seeing him in said comfortable position.

“Dawn,” he rasped, looking down to Faith a moment to make sure she was still asleep. He looked back up to see Dawn stuffing a handful of what looked like lucky charms into her mouth; the red cereal box in her other hand solved the _mystery_ of the rustling.

“Derek,” Dawn replied, giving him a smile before resuming her chewing.

Derek didn’t hear the question but nodded at her in answer. He went to move but found that Faith was still tucked in tight to his side; her arm now around his waist and his own around her shoulders. She was deeply asleep and found that he rather liked the peaceful look on her face.

He knew he had to move but he didn’t want to wake her up as he’d remembered her telling him that Slayers tended to sleep a lot when they were injured so that they could heal faster. He figured with her head wound, she would be out for a while longer. He could see that the cut on her lip was fully healed; if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes he’d never have known it was there in the first place.

Derek brought his hand up to the back of her head to check if the wound was still there, he couldn’t feel the bump but the scrunched look on Faith’s face when he touched certain spots made him realise that it was still slightly tender and removed his hand immediately. It was sheer curiosity that made him slide his fingers down the side of her neck to check the claw marks from Peter. He could feel the raised lesions; causing him to carefully stroke the skin with his fingertips. It was as though he thought he could make them disappear with nothing more than his soft caresses. Sensing his distress, Faith nuzzled into him further, stopping his ministrations to look down at her in affection.

When he moved again Faith frowned slightly, tightening her hold on his waist that had him let out a slight breath; she didn’t seem to know her strength whilst she slept. He cuddled her close, allowing her hold to loosen then slowly unclasped her arm, pulling it away slightly and placing it onto her stomach. He moved back to get some room to pick her up; his arms under her knees and around her waist, lifting her carefully. Derek stilled when Faith let out a small whine of protest, her fingers gripping his t-shirt before slowly relaxing as she burrowed under his chin comfortably. He carefully moved around the bed, placing her gently on top of the duvet. Faith moaned as she felt the coldness of the duvet but quickly snuggled in when Derek placed the comforter from the bottom of the bed over her. He raised his head to catch Dawn watching the exchange intently, a hand full of lucky charms frozen inches from her open mouth. Derek felt the tips of his ears turn red under the scrutiny, embarrassed that someone had watched his very obvious display of affection; something he hadn’t shown in a very long time.

“You want me to wake her?” He asked finally, looking back to Dawn, watching her shake her head in answer.

Derek huffed slightly as he moved back around the bed and sat down opposite the laptop, clasping his hands between his open legs.  He glanced to his hands briefly before lifting his gaze to watch Dawn finally eat the food in her hand. He studied the brunette briefly, taking in her tired appearance and very obvious bedhead as she chewed. She didn’t look like she could manage the day let alone a whole Council of Slayers and looked to be more at home in college wondering what party she should be going to that weekend.  It wasn’t that Derek was judging, well he was, and he knew he was a hypocrite but he was excusing himself since his entire knowledge base had been given a complete upgrade overnight and he was having trouble coming to terms with it all.

He nodded to the box in her hand. “Breakfast?”

Dawn shrugged, ignoring the scene that had just played out in front of her to stuff another handful of cereal into her already full mouth. “I’m told it’s the most important meal of the day,” she said around her mouth full of food. “I have to hoard food in here or I’d never eat... healthily.” At Derek’s raised eyebrow she matched with one of her own. “What? This is healthy.”

“You wanted to talk?” Derek said. He was nervous. This young woman was nothing to him but she was family to Faith and that made her important. He just knew that this conversation wasn’t going to go well, especially since talking wasn’t one of his specialities but he pushed; wanting to desperately know and not.

“You aren’t one for conversation, are you?”  Dawn commented. At Derek’s unwavering stare, she rolled her eyes at him and continued, “She cares about you and after that,” she pointed to where Derek and Faith had been sleeping on the floor to now where Faith resided on the bed, “I’d say you care about her too.”

Derek stole a quick glance to Faith before turning back. “That a problem?” He figured after what she’s just watched, he couldn’t exactly deny it any more. He just didn’t have to like it.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Dawn countered. She gave him a slight smile at his taken aback expression. “You weren’t expecting that, huh?” When he continued to stay silent Dawn carried on. “You don’t want to care about her, but it’s more than obvious that you do,” she stated with a sigh. This had Derek’s eyebrows rise. “You looked as though you wanted to run and stay at the same time,” she explained. “Don’t worry, she’s the same. Faith doesn’t do whatever ‘this’ is…ever.” Dawn waved the box, motioning between Derek and Faith’s sleeping form. “You know, she’s not like… I mean, she’s different and not everybody can deal with different.  I know, werewolf. You are the poster child for different but…”

“You think I can’t handle her being a slayer?” he interrupted. He didn’t know whether to be disturbed at the lack of surprise coming from Dawn at his admission that he knew Faith was a Slayer.

“She finally told you and by the sound of it, you know of them already,” Dawn concluded, placing the opened box beside her on top of a large stack of books as Derek nodded. “She told you everything?” she asked. Derek gave her another nod. “And you’re still here.”

“Why would I leave?” he asked carefully. He was unsure of why him staying was so important but Dawn’s eyebrow raise  and silence had him realise that Faith must have done this before and whomever she had told had left her once they’d found out. It had him let out a small cough at the rush of emotion that hit him; it had never even occurred to him to just leave last night.

Dawn gave him a bright smile. “Good answer.”

He shook his head at her. “It wasn’t meant to be one.” He was right, sort of.  He’d only just had his realisation and was still discerning how to feel about it. He closed his eyes, unclasping his hands and running them over the top of his jean clad thighs. Dawn’s silence had him loosening his tongue and it was irritating him but he couldn’t seem to stop. “She shouldn’t care… about me,” he exhaled, his shoulders sagging with the weight of how much he thought it to be true. “I’m not who she thinks I am. People get hurt around me or worse. No matter how much I try... no matter what I do… I’m poisonous. She’s a good person.” He paused, shaking his head. “All the good she’s done around the world and I can’t, I’m not... I’ll drag her down until she’s six feet under,” he gritted out. “She should stay as far away from me as possible.” He hung his head in shame at showing so much emotion to a stranger. His next words choked him but it was no more truthful than what he’d just said. “I burn everything I touch. She will be no exception.”

“You feel like you don’t deserve her… or anything really, do you?”

Derek visibly gulped, his gaze returning to his clasped hands. She was right, of course. He knew that Faith was fiercely protective when it came to Stiles and Scott but he didn’t know how to feel about being treated the same. The silence clung to the air around him and he braced himself to look up and face Dawn, to see the pity he knew would be there in her eyes. What he found had him baffled; Dawn was expressionless.

Dawn took Derek’s stoic silence as his answer. She chose her next words carefully, making sure to keep her features controlled. “I don’t know your whole past, but I know enough to know it was awful and I’d never wish it to happen to anyone. It isn’t any of my business. However, I think you’ve kept everything locked up tight inside for so long I don’t think you’d know how to let it out and you need to… before it consumes you. You don’t seem like a bad guy, stand offish and self-deprecating perhaps. Your anger is palpable… even through the monitor. You have broody written all over you, even without the dark aura and black ensemble,” she said, her gaze never wavering from Derek’s. “Remind me to introduce you to a vampire in LA. I think you’d have many things in common.”

“You’re right, it’s none of your business,” Derek growled.

“That… right there!” Dawn pointed at him. “Anger and fear.  You fear people knowing your past so much that it rules _everything_ you do. It leads you to anger and that’s going to get you in trouble… or killed.” She glared at him. “Faith too,” she added.

Derek growled at her again.

“You don’t scare me Derek,” she sneered.  “I’d like to point out now that Faith… no, _all_ Slayers are destined to die. I have books upon books…” Dawn waved her arms around, emphasising her surroundings. Derek couldn’t make out much but he could see the abundance of shelves overladen with books. Dawn’s desk included. “…of prophecies from oracles, soothsayers, psychics, hell even fortune cookies if you can believe that and every one of them state the same thing - the Slayer will die. So, if you think you are going to get Faith killed then I suggest you get the fuck in line.” She let out a resigned sigh. “I’ve lived with that fact a lot longer than you and I can say that it isn’t something you ever come to accept.”

“How do you deal with it?” He asked curiously.

Dawn shrugged a shoulder. “You just do.  However, if we let our emotions get involved and switch to anger every time then we’d end up like…” Dawn broke off, chancing a quick glance at Faith. Derek followed her gaze, his eyes widening as he looked back at Dawn; he didn’t like the idea of Faith ending up like him, or going back to who she once was. He didn’t think she’d survive it a second time. He figured Dawn knew it too.  “There was more to Faith’s darkness than just anger but it doesn’t help anyone, especially you. Doesn’t Yoda say something like, fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate and hate leads…to…to…well, it’s all to the Dark side in the end, isn’t it? All isn’t lost.”

“Is that so? Please tell me how oh wise one?” Derek asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Dawn laughed, shaking her head.  “Such scepticism. I’ll add it to the growing list that makes up Derek Hale. It’s all on you but it doesn’t mean you don’t need some help. All you have to do is ask. The rest will come with it,” she said with a teasing smile, waving her finger at him through the monitor. She looked behind her a moment; something off screen catching her attention. Derek could hear a loud creak of what sounded like a very heavy door opening and then the thud of it closing.

“Are we done or are you going to share more insights with me?” he said with disdain. As much as he hadn’t expected this kind of conversation, it was starting to make him uncomfortable and he wanted it to end. He knew Dawn was right but sheer stubbornness was keeping him from admitting it to her. Derek knew his faults and he didn’t need a stranger reading him better than he could read himself. Yet, he didn’t mind Faith doing it. He was choosing obliviousness with regards to that point.

Dawn looked back to him. As if sensing his growing discomfort she gave him a slight smile. “As I said, you aren’t a bad guy but Faith is invested in this, in you and Goddess knows why but she trusts you. She _will_ follow you into trouble, to protect you, whether you want her to or not. She’s protective of those that she cares about and I can count on one hand how many people that is, so prepare for the fall out when you try and stop her.”

At that, another face popped out of the side of the screen. This face was of a man with blonde spiky hair, flattened on one side where it looked as though it had been leant on something. By the crust of sleep in the corner of his eyes and the obvious hint of drool on his chin, Derek guessed this new guy had just woken up.

“You aren’t Faith. Where’s Faith? Wait, are you Stiles? You can’t be Stiles. So, who are you dark, extremely buff and handsome stranger?”

Derek may not be one with words but he didn’t think he’d have any if he even tried at that moment.

“Andrew!” he heard Dawn shout. “We’ve discussed this before. No butting in!” Derek watched as a pale, slender hand came out from behind Andrew, covering his entire face and pushing him away from the screen, revealing an unhappy Dawn. “Faith doesn’t need taking care of,” she continued, in spite of the distraction. “She’s more of…” She looked to her right and glared at Andrew, who was hidden from the screen then to her hand quickly with a grimace. “Ew! Andrew, you are disgusting. There’s drool on my hand!” She wiped her hand on her hoodie, all while still glaring at Andrew.

“An equal,” Derek spoke up, cutting into what was going on screen.

Derek watched Dawn look to him with wide eyes. She was still and Derek could hear that Andrew was also just as silent, before she leant back in her chair, propping her feet up on the desk, where he could see she was wearing odd socks and tartan pyjama pants. He could hear someone fumbling around before Andrew’s blonde head appeared again from over Dawn’s shoulder.

Dawn gestured between them. “Derek, this is Andrew. He’s human and our resident weirdo. He works with me in the library and helps with all kinds of research, like you for example. Andrew, this is Derek Hale. He’s Faith’s werewolf,” she said matter-of-factly.

Derek went still at her words, unable to confirm or deny them; he was defiantly ignoring the feeling of happiness curling within him however.  He chose to ignore the lascivious smile and wave that he received from Andrew in greeting, especially when he could see Andrew’s gaze wander all over him as well as the revelation that they had been researching him. He now knew their research hadn’t told them everything without him having to fill in the blanks and for that he was thankful; he didn’t want them knowing the truth and judging him, or worse, pity him.

“What did you just say?” Dawn asked as she pushed Andrew away from her shoulder. He moved easily to the other side.

Derek reared back slightly at the intense stares he was receiving from Dawn and Andrew. “She’s an equal,” he repeated. “Isn’t she?” From what he could remember from the stories he was told, Slayers were something to be respected and hoped would never come after you. A hunter paled in comparison. Seeing it with his own eyes, he could agree wholeheartedly.

Andrew spoke up first. “To you, a beta?” Without waiting for an answer from Derek he said with a shake of his head, “No.”

“To the Alpha,” Dawn began, “then yes.” She crossed her arms as Andrew slid out of view, the box of Lucky Charms also disappearing with him, unbeknownst to Dawn. “It’s why you are going to need her help.”

 “I have an idea on how to deal with the Alpha with her help,” Derek pointed out. “Whether I like it or not,” he muttered, ignoring Dawn’s grin. “Aren’t you worried about her?”

“Nah,” Dawn shook her head at him, “She’s a big girl and she’s dealt with worse than this. I’ll worry when the apocalypse comes, which should be soon as we haven’t had one in a while.”

He shook his head at her again. From what he’d heard and had now seen, they were a strange bunch of people. “You make it sound so… normal.”

“Define normal?” Dawn offered.  She moved her legs to reach for her ‘breakfast’. Upon finding the box gone, Derek could see Dawn scowl; turning her gaze behind her chair in the direction of where Derek guessed Andrew had sneaked off to.

“Touché,” Derek countered, gaining Dawn’s attention. Normality was for other people, who dreamt about the big house and white picket fence. Derek just wanted a night when he didn’t dream and could wake without a feeling of dread.

Wait, hadn’t he done that?

Dawn gave him a thoughtful look. “You look like someone just told you Santa wasn’t real.”

“He isn’t,” Derek answered automatically. His thoughts were still lost to the discovery that for the first time in the past six years, he’d slept uninterrupted for more than an hour and hadn’t dreamt or woke with uneasiness in his stomach. He glanced again to Faith’s sleeping form and gave her a small smile, hidden from Dawn’s piercing gaze.

“Actually, Santa was one of the names given to a demon from the sixteenth century. He was known for operating on Christmas night. He used flying reindeer, climbed down chimneys, and disembowelled children. All very grim,” Andrew piped up from somewhere behind Dawn, interrupting Derek’s thoughts with new disturbing ones.

Dawn laughed at Derek’s grimace. “I think you are going to have to learn that everything you think you know, you don’t,” she said.

“I’m beginning to realise that,” Derek said with a tight smile as leant forward to rest his elbows on his knees. It was startling how honest he was with those words. He could feel Dawn’s eyes on him. “What are you really trying to tell me Dawn?” he asked bluntly. “You aren’t one for bullshit from what I see.”

Dawn grinned at him. “Oh, I like you. Buffy and Angel are going to hate you on sight. You are right, though. I just want you to think on what we’ve talked about,” she said. “No one is beyond help. Not even you Derek Hale.”

“Anything else?” he grunted.

“If she dies, you don’t need me to tell you what will happen to you, do I?” she warned, her tone low and dangerous.

Derek blanched as Dawn’s threat caught him completely off guard. He finally got to see the person Faith had described earlier that night, a fierce young woman, loyal and brave with a strength that could probably rival any Slayer. She was protective and he didn’t doubt her one bit. There was a joke somewhere that he had a habit of surrounding himself with idiots and strong women but he was in no mood to find it.

She reminded him of Laura and it hurt a little to see that fire in her eyes that was so reminiscent of his sister. It had him choking back the lump in his throat but he was saved by the sound of the Sheriff’s police cruiser coming into the street. He stood abruptly, his concentration focussed outside.

“Wow, you say so much with no words.” Dawn brought his attention back to her. “There are so many Lassie jokes I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”

“The Sheriff is back. I need to go,” he explained, turning back to face her. He went to grab his jacket, leaving the duffle where he’d dropped it the night before. He needed for Faith to know that he’d be back.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she knows you stayed,” Dawn told him, watching as his inner turmoil played out over his features. “And what we discussed? It’ll stay between you and me. Besides, she’s gonna chew me out for even speaking to you without her to supervise.”

Derek nodded at her, his only show of gratitude that she will keep their conversation between them. It’s not as though he’s afraid to have the difficult talk that was going to come but he was still at loggerheads on what to do and he didn’t want to have to be forced to do something he wasn’t ready for. If there was one thing he was going to control then it was going to be this. Dealing with his uncle was first priority. At least he knew his decision on what to do when it came to the issue of his murdering uncle.  It was whether or not he could handle the consequences and the fall out that was sure to happen.

He left out the window as the front door opened downstairs, with no goodbye or a backward glance at the laptop. As his feet hit the ground he heard Dawn’s parting words to him.

“I couldn’t see it at first but I understand why it’s you. Don’t make her regret it.”

It never made sense to him at first and bugged him as to what her words meant but it wasn’t until he was almost at the Preserve when it struck him that Dawn was talking about Faith - Faith choosing _him_.

He had to admit that he agreed with Dawn and that he couldn’t understand either and despite how much his instinct was to push Faith as far away from his as possible, he didn’t want to. He wanted to be selfish and keep whatever ‘this’ was for as long as he could.

***

Faith allowed her body to rouse slowly from slumber, her senses taking in the usual morning sounds from the street outside to the now familiar, peaceful and safe sounds of her uncle’s house. She could feel the warmth of the comforter tucked snugly around her and the softness of the pillow under her cheek; the scent of lemon fabric softener making her nose twitch and filling her with a feeling of contentment. She revelled in the bliss of to the lack of noise from arguments for the bathroom or the infernal shrieking over someone stealing someone else’s shoes, clothes or knives. She’d come to enjoy the morning sounds of her new home; Stiles babbling away in his sleep about the oddest of things or her uncle snoring away after a long shift at the station.

She sprung fully awake when she caught a particularly loud snore coming from her uncle; her eyes flashing open, bolting upright in bed and her heart beating wildly. The memories of the night before had her searching her surroundings. With no sign of Derek, she felt her heart and stomach drop. It wasn’t until her eyes caught the black duffle under the window that she let out the breath she’d been holding.

“He stayed,” she whispered to the empty room, a small smile playing on her lips. ‘ _And he’s coming back_ _,’_ she thought as her smile widened further.

“Yep, he did,” Dawn’s voice came from beside her. “He left about an hour ago.”

Faith turned her attention to her laptop. The happy expression she wore being quickly replaced to concern. She could see the grin on Dawn’s face and it unnerved her. The last time she’d seen that grin it had been when Dawn had told her she’d contacted her uncle Stan. This did not bode well if she spoke to Derek. “What did you do?”

Dawn held up her hands in peace. “Calm down. I didn’t do anything.”

Faith shook her head, pushing the comforter down to the bottom of the bed and stretching.  She noted the crumpled and torn box of Lucky Charms in Dawn’s hand but she’d long since learned to shut up when it came to Dawn’s eating habits. The box looked like it had been in the wars and probably had if someone had been stupid enough to take food from Dawn.  “Your poker face sucks D. You lie like Stiles flirts… badly. What happened?”

Dawn looked at her, affronted. “Excuse me I do not suck at poker. I beat Andrew.” She crossed her arms with a huff. “And I can lie perfectly well, thank you very much,” she muttered to herself. “I just choose not to.”

Faith levelled a flat look at her best friend. “That doesn’t instil confidence. Everyone beats Andrew at poker. Now, tell me what you’ve done.”

Dawn huffed in annoyance. “I didn’t do anything.  He woke up, then he moved you to the bed and we… talked? Can it be described as talking if it’s with eyebrows and glaring rather than actual words?” she asked. Not waiting for Faith to answer, she continued, “He doesn’t say much, does he?”

“D?” Faith warned, arms crossed and brow furrowing.

Throwing her hands up in exasperation, Dawn caved. “Fine!  He revealed through his _unique_ mode of communication that you told him… well, everything.” When Faith stayed silent, Dawn hastily inquired, “How did that go?”

Faith shrugged. “I have no idea. I just started talking and couldn’t stop.” She shrugged her shoulders. “He didn’t speak the entire time. Not a single thing.”

“That tells me nothing. That could mean absolutely anything in Derek speak,” she smiled.

Faith returned the smile. “I suppose you’re right.” She paused, realising that she had no idea what to do next. What did Derek think about what she’d told him? Did he think she was still the monster that she once was? Did he still fear her? She knew she’d hated seeing that he feared her for those moments after she revealed who she truly was.

“He stayed Faith,” Dawn’s soft tone broke through Faith’s thoughts. “He didn’t look like he wanted to leave either.”

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Faith protested.

Dawn scoffed at her. “You and I both know that it does. It means everything.”

Faith sighed heavily. She didn’t want to agree but Dawn was right. Even after she’d told Robin her past, he’d taken a while to come to terms with it and even then there were times she would catch him watching her with uneasiness in his gaze. She’d never had someone do what Derek had done. He may not have spoken a word but she’d known that he’d listened to every word that had fallen from her lips and had consoled her through mere touch when she’d had trouble getting through some of her exploits; the mayor and her subsequent breakdown in LA had been the hardest. “I don’t know what to do.” She moved over the bed to sit in front of the laptop and Dawn’s caring gaze. “Things are fucked up.”

Dawn made a thoughtful noise. “Because you told him or that after he found out everything, he stayed?” she quizzed.

“Both?” Faith replied back unsure.  “I don’t know. I blame having my head slammed into a wall by Peter for my poor decision making skills.” She carefully rubbed the back of her head to feel for the painful knot. She found nothing, only wincing as her fingers grazed over a slightly tender area; she hated how long head wounds took to heal. She licked her bottom lip to feel for the cut and found nothing. She didn’t worry about the bruises; they were always the fastest to heal.

“I’m confused,” Dawn said, with a shake of her head, watching Faith poke and prod at herself.  “Peter? As in Derek’s uncle Peter who is in a coma? He slammed your head into a wall?”

Faith nodded. “He’s the Alpha,” she disclosed.

“Fuck off! No way,” Dawn shouted at her in shock, causing Faith to shush her. “You have got to be kidding me? I did not see that plot twist,” she whispered, realising that her loud outburst could wake Faith’s uncle. Dawn sat back in her chair, the shock of Faith’s revelation still on her features.

“Do you I think I did?” Faith said, rubbing her eyes.  She startled when Dawn jumped up in her chair, arms and legs flailing about.

“Oh my God!  Things are starting to make some sense. I got distracted this morning finding you snuggled on the floor with a werewolf. By the way, kudos on your choice of bedfellow, he is hot and somewhat nice.”

“I want to say thanks but I feel like there was an insult there,” Faith grumbled.

“Can I be there when you introduce him to Buffy, oh can I be there when you introduce him to _Angel_? Pretty please?” Dawn teased, her chin resting on her hand, feigning innocence.

“I’m not… they’re not… what?” Faith looked at her friend in confusion. “No one is meeting anyone, ever.  Now what was it that you came to tell me this morning before…,” she started.

“I was distracted by the heart melting cute scene?” Dawn ridiculed.

“Shut up.” Faith rolled her eyes. “What did you want to tell me?”

“Oh right, yeah,” Dawn said as she began to search around her chaotic desk; lifting heavy books from left to right and then back to left again.  Faith watched as Dawn pulled a stack of papers covered in bright pink post-it notes from under a large tome that looked as though weighed the same as her. “So, I looked into the victims a bit more and I found out some interesting things,” Dawn explained, her eyes on the papers in her hand.

Faith raised her eyebrow, her silence enough to have Dawn go on. “Yeah, so now that we know Peter is the Alpha. I think we can establish that the murders and the Hale fire are linked.” She held up a piece of paper that Faith could see was the Insurance investigator’s report. “Accident my ass!” She exclaimed.

“How?” Faith asked, intrigued. “None of the victims are connected.”

Dawn smiled. “Oh, but they are. We just had to do some digging.” She shook the papers in her hand at Faith. A few post- it notes fell to the desk. “Some deep digging but it is there.”

“Tell me,” Faith ordered. She pulled the laptop closer to the edge of the chest of drawers.

“The bus driver?” Dawn began, shuffling through the myriad of papers in her hand as Faith waited with rapt attention. She’d had wanted to know what had really happened after finding out the fire was anything but an accident but after her visit to the Hale property yesterday, that need had grown into an overwhelming urgency. She felt obligated to get justice for the Hales even though she never knew them and get justice for Derek too.  “He was the insurance investigator to the Hale fire and thanks to some awesome detective skills by yours truly, I found out that the company terminated his ass on suspicion of fraud.” Dawn looked up from the paper she’d been reading from. “Didn’t I tell you the reports were too clean?”

“Yeah, you did,” Faith agreed. “What about the video store guy? What’s his connection?”

Dawn scanned the papers again, letting out an ‘ah’ sound to know she’d found what she wanted. “Actually the video store guy and the crispy guys from the woods have the same connection. They all have priors for arson.” Dawn placed the papers back on the desk. “What do you think?”

“I think that we are missing something,” Faith pointed out. “None of the victims had any beef with the Hales, right?” She asked as she raised herself from the bed and began to pace in front of the screen. “None of them had a motive?”

Dawn shook her head. “There’s nothing linking them to the Hales at all prior to the fire and I looked Faith, so did Andrew and we found nothing.”

“That means there’s a third man, someone who orchestrated it all from behind the scenes and Peter is looking for them,” Faith deduced.

“They may not even be in Beacon Hills,” Dawn offered. “I mean, who would stick around after planning something like that? I’d get the hell out of dodge the moment the match was lit.”

“Unless you wanted to watch to make sure it worked.” Faith pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling deeply. She missed the grimace Dawn made.  “Whoever it is resides in Beacon Hills and Peter can’t get to them by himself.” She let out a groan of frustration. “That’s why he went after Scott with Derek. More betas in his pack, means more power.”

“Whoa, what now?” Dawn called out. “I feel like I have missed a ton since we last spoke. What happened with Scott?”

Faith flopped down on the bed with a groan. “I have no idea yet but Stiles told me that Scott was out of it after he found him the locker room after the game. Turns out Peter had turned up with Derek and tried to get him to join them.”

“Derek is with Peter?” Dawn rubbed her temple. “Wait, wait, wait a minute. Peter is the Alpha and is on a murdering spree to find the person who planned the decimation of his family? Derek has joined him and they want Scott to join them to help in their ‘crusade’?” Faith nodded, covering her face with her hand. “You told Derek that you’re a Slayer and pretty much revealed your soul to him last night and he stayed the night? Stiles is taking care of Scott after Peter pulled some kind of werewolf mojo on him… and you are what?”

“Fucked,” Faith stated. She gazed at the white ceiling above her. It was crude to say but it was the only word that best described her position at that moment. She couldn’t go after Peter, even if she did know where he was dwelling, without some help. She didn’t know where she stood with Derek either with regards to what he was truly doing with Peter or with what was going on with them.

“I’d say that was accurate,” Dawn conceded.

“Did I mention that Peter knew I was a Slayer and would like to get up in all this and probably wants to turn me?” Faith said as she raised herself up on her elbows.

Dawn opened her mouth to speak but closed it just as quick when no sound came out. Her shoulders slumped as she said, “I got nothing.”

“Real helpful, D,” Faith moaned as she fell back against the bed.  “I’m glad I didn’t have your insight last night as I got my ass kicked… again!”

“Hey! I helped!” Dawn proclaimed, indicating to the papers on the desk in front of her. “I didn’t think so much would change in twenty-four hours!”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Faith placated as she sat back up. “I have no idea where to start with all of this. I thought the only thing I’d have to worry about was the fact I kissed Derek yesterday. That was after I found him stripping in Stiles’ room for Stiles and Danny.”

Dawn lifted her hand to the screen, her mouth and eyes wide, dumbfounded. “There was no stripping when I called in,” she said hotly, looking put out. “I seriously called at the wrong time and who is Danny?”

“Some kid with killer dimples, who appreciated the strip show more than Stiles and _really_?” Faith asked in disbelief. “Out of everything I’ve said you get pissed that you never saw Derek half naked?” She should have been surprised by Dawn’s reaction but she wasn’t, not really.

“I feel like it would be an experience,” Dawn affirmed with a shrug.

Faith shook her head. She wasn’t exactly going to disagree with her but Dawn didn’t need to know that. “Why am I friends with you again?”

“Pfft! I know too much about you,” Dawn grinned at her mischievously. “Besides, don’t change the subject. You, Derek, kissing. Explain?” She wagged her finger at her.

Faith shrugged. “It happened and it’ll be dealt with later. I need to concentrate on the psychotic Alpha hunting for Goddess knows who.”

Dawn nodded, shoulders straightening. “Right! So, let’s take it one thing at a time. We’ve established Peter’s motive. Now we need to get to who he is looking for before he does.”

“Easier said than done, D.”

Faith knew that whoever the culprit was, they had made sure all those years ago that they didn’t want to be found. The money that would have obviously changed hands would have been in cash and untraceable. Probably all discussions were done in secret or maybe they never met and all dealings were done over the phone and no one ever met the elusive man behind the mask.

“Okay. We leave that for the time being. Next on the list, why is Derek working with Peter?”

“Skip it. I’ve had this conversation and I have no idea why Derek is with Peter. He gave me some bullshit excuse about family and pack but there has to be another reason. Peter killed Laura, D and I don’t buy the excuse that it was an accident.”

Dawn balked. “That’s what he said and Derek bought it?”

“Seems so,” Faith sighed.

“So the only thing you’ve got left is to find out what Peter did to Scott.”

“Stiles is bringing Scott over later this morning and I’ll get what I can out of him.”

“Well, at least that’s something.” She slumped back in her chair, blowing out a puff of air. “I still can’t believe I missed a strip show.”

Faith’s eyes widened at Dawn’s admission before dissolving into laughter. “I know, you missed seeing the tattoo,” she teased as Dawn pouted. “I can’t believe you sometimes. You need to get laid.”

“You’re telling me. Andrew is looking more and more appealing the longer I shut myself up in here but I think we’ve lost him to your werewolf. He’s been waxing lyrical about the ‘brooding and dangerously sexy wolf’ since he saw him. I kicked him out to find Giles,” she said. “I just didn’t tell him that Giles flew back to Scotland during the night.”

Faith looked at her in question before turning to horror. “Let me get this right. You spoke to Stiles yesterday? Derek earlier and so did Andrew?”

Dawn nodded at her, gnawing her bottom lip. “Yeah but…”

Faith held up a finger to stop her going on. “Just tell me that Andrew and Stiles haven’t met yet? They aren’t allowed to talk to each other or… anything really. I barely want him talking to you.”

Dawn gave her a sullen look. “Rude. Although I could see from the mere seconds that we did converse that he has a lot of questions. Only Derek being there stopped him.”

“I bet he has and they will not be answered by anyone but me D, right?” She jokingly threatened but kept her tone serious enough that Dawn got the message. Stiles wasn’t to know her past until she was ready.

“Of course, but he figured you out quick enough. You think he’s not figured out there’s more to the story?”

“I’ll get to it when I’m ready and right now, I’m not even close to ready for the fall out. I’m going to deal with what’s already on my plate.”

“Good idea. Maim and kill, then go right into family drama. Doesn’t that just take you right back to our Sunnydale days?” Dawn joked. Her small laugh was interrupted by a yawn.

“Go to bed. You look like shit,” Faith said fondly. She knew Dawn was overworked on a good day so having her help out with this was probably doubling the load. Dawn wouldn’t have it any other way. She’d found her niche in the Council and she’d shown that she was more than capable of dealing with whatever was thrown at her. It just didn’t help that her social life was practically non-existent.  Faith and Buffy would drag her out whenever they visited but Faith could see that wasn’t really enough and Dawn had to get out more. She was looking more pale than normal from being stuck inside all day and she could bet that there was a Dawn sized dent on the couch in the library. Maybe when it was all over, Faith could invite her to Beacon Hills. Her uncle had mentioned that he’d like to meet the ‘meddler’ that he spoke to over the phone.

“Well, if that’s what I get for helping you,” Dawn said moodily. “I’m hurt.” She grabbed at her heart in mock hurt before letting out another yawn. “Ok, so maybe I’m a little tired,” she relented. “I swear I’ve forgotten what it’s like to sleep in an actual bed, with a mattress and not the poor excuse of the couch I use. I think my spine has bent to the shape of it.” She emphasised her point by stretching and wincing in pain. “See?”

“Sleep and I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Okay and I’ll have Andrew see if we can find the infamous third man.”

Faith stood to close her laptop but paused as a thought crossed her mind – maybe it wasn’t a man they were looking for. The conversation between Allison and Kate Argent at the Hale house yesterday sprung to mind and her intense dislike for the older female Argent.  “D?” she asked hesitantly. “You think you could get Andrew to do something else for me instead?” At Dawn’s confused stare, she clarified further. “More like more information. I want everything, and I mean everything you can find on Kate Argent. I want to know her whereabouts for the last ten years or so. From where she’s been to who she’s associated with, exes, current lovers and even one night stands. I want to know everything about her, right down to what she puts in her coffee in the morning or if she’s a bikini or thong type girl. I especially want to know her preferences when it comes to her kills.”

Dawn’s eyes widened. “That may take a while. I mean, Andrew is good but ten years?”

“Can’t do it?” Faith teased.

“I didn’t say that. But I want to know what’s got your panties in a twist over a hunter other than the obvious?” Dawn sat back in her chair, arm crossed.

“I was in the Hale house yesterday doing some recon and I overheard a conversation that just didn’t sit well with me,” she answered.  “It’s just a feeling but, well, you know…”

“Spidey senses tingling?”

Faith huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, something like that.”

Dawn gave a swift nod, “I’ll handle it myself. I’ve learned to trust your spidey senses by now. ”

Faith nodded her thanks, allowing Dawn to end their session with a click. She sat motionless on the bed, unsure of how to proceed with the day. She knew that Stiles and Scott would be coming over later but until then she didn’t know. She knew she had to get ready and she knew she should eat breakfast as she could hear the tell-tale rumblings of an empty stomach and a hungry Slayer was never a good thing.

With a heavy sigh, she raised herself from the bed, moving over to close her laptop shut. She looked around her room again, seeing the warm glow of the sun coming through the window highlighting Derek’s duffle bag. She headed over to pick it up, deciding to store it under the bed where Derek had hidden it last time.

She showered and dressed quickly, making her way downstairs and preparing herself for what the day was going to bring.

***

Stiles stumbled into the kitchen as gracefully as he could; given his extreme sleep deprivation. Scott shuffled after him clumsily; looking just as rough.  Stiles couldn’t help but smile when he saw Faith making pancakes with the usual calmness he had grown accustomed to when she cooked.

The day that his cousin proved she could cook, and amazingly well for that matter, Stiles had nearly wept with unbridled joy. She’d made him the most awesome macaroni and cheese ever before explaining that she had learned to cook for ‘self-preservation’. Apparently Dawn’s cooking and eating habits were something that should come with a warning label, a Hazmat team and more than a couple of bottles of Pepto Bismol. She had joked that she’d already had the knife skills so she just decided to put them to good use and the rest she’d picked up over time.

A fleeting thought crossed his mind of the time he’d eaten a worm when he was five because Scott had dared him to; it had been covered in mud and hadn’t looked appetising in the slightest. He could still remember the slimy texture and dirt flavouring and had vowed he’d never do it again but even _that_ sounded more appealing than some of the things Faith had said Dawn had eaten. One such concoction was marshmallow and pineapple pizza… is that a meal or is it a pudding?

It was safe to say that he and his dad were the world’s worst cooks and, since his mom passed, had basically survived on ready meals and the occasional Tupperware boxes of food from Ms. McCall. Faith had stumbled across the freezer full of ready meals and the fridge half full of mouldy cheese and take out boxes after two days of being in the house; she’d quickly binned the entire contents of the fridge and freezer without a word to either of them.

Stiles recalled she’d dragged him to the grocery store and had spent an obscene amount of time and money on food, way more than Stiles or his dad had ever done before. Faith had paid for it all and had carried most of it to the jeep by herself with Stiles watching in her awe. That expression had been stuck to his face since Faith had stood talking to herself about what meals she would be cooking that week in each aisle of the store; carefully picking up different items, reading the packaging before placing into the cart.  She planned every day, including lunches for his dad and hadn’t once asked Stiles’ opinion… and he hadn’t even cared. The moment he’d heard lasagne and home baked garlic bread he’d pretty much decided Faith could do whatever the hell she wanted. He’d had a quick glance at the balance on the receipt and had nearly swallowed the hoodie string he’d been chewing on.

He’d often wondered, especially after finding out who she was and about the Council, how much money Faith had. His dad had taught him that it was rude to ask about someone’s finances and Stiles agreed but he’d heard Faith’s stories of travelling around the world and the countless apartments she had and rarely spent time in and he was genuinely curious. He knew the car she drove to Beacon Hills wasn’t hers and belonged to Dawn but Faith didn’t look or act as though she had a lot of money however he figured she must have enough to at least live comfortably and she had paid for the repairs to his jeep when the battery had been torn out.

It was just another question he’d add to the list to ask his cousin once the Alpha problem was dealt with. He’d prepared the list after the night Faith had first got beaten down by the Alpha and it had slowly been growing day by day.

“Morning kiddo, morning Scott,” she greeted them before going back to flipping the pancake with ease, bringing Stiles out of his thoughts. She motioned to Scott, “Have a seat and grab some. I tend to make too many.”

Stiles looked to Scott, who’d been eyeing the full plate with hungry wide eyes. When Faith turned and motioned for them to help themselves, he’d allowed Scott to barge past him.

“Thanks,” Scott mumbled with his mouth half full of pancake as he grabbed the syrup from the cupboard next to Faith’s head. He stepped away and grabbed the full plate, slathering the syrup over the top with no real finesse other than to make sure each pancake was generously covered. He’d grabbed a fork from the drawer and tucked in as he leaned against the refrigerator.

“You want some kiddo before the werewolf version of a hoover eats them all?” Faith asked.

“Yeah,” he replied. “I’m just gonna shower and change and I’ll be back for some.” He punched Scott in the arm, making the plate in his hand topple slightly, pointing a warning finger at him. “Dude, don’t eat them all!”

Scott shrugged at him. “Can’t promise anything.”

Faith laughed as Stiles hit Scott again and left the room; she heard the first step creak as he headed upstairs.

Stiles grimaced at the creaking step and walked up the remaining steps as quietly as he could. His dad had been pulling double shifts since the murders began; the last thing Stiles wanted to do was wake him up if he could avoid it.  He had a nagging concern that this would all come to a head and that his dad would burn out.

After showering he got changed in relative silence. His thoughts firing at him from all sides, more than normal but it was Faith who was the main focus.  He’d have thought that he’d be used to her healing abilities by now, what with seeing it first hand and having Derek heal a bullet wound right in front of him but he was still surprised and had a slight fascination with how it worked in general.

From his quick scan, he’d catalogued that her lip had healed and the claw shaped bruises around her neck were completely gone. He’d panicked slightly during the night that maybe the bruises would still be there and he didn’t think her hair would be enough this time to hide them from his dad. He’d even considered blaming himself and had concocted a few excuses to use but upon seeing nothing his relief was evident as the excuses he had were lame and his dad would have seen through them within seconds.

He’d felt bad that he hadn’t stayed with her the night before as he’d remembered during the night that she had a head wound and was worried that something would happen while he’d been at Scott’s. When he called he been all for bringing Scott back to the house with him but had followed Faith’s orders and had dragged Scott back to his own house.

After Scott had explained about Jackson and Peter’s offers, Stiles disclosed what had happened at the hospital with Faith and Derek. Scott had naturally been worried about Faith and about what they were going to do about everything and for once, Stiles didn’t have the answer, not even a sarcastic quip. He’d changed the topic instead to the game he’d missed until they’d both allowed the quiet of the night to silence them.

The events of the hospital had plagued Stiles’ thoughts and had prevented him from calming his mind enough to drop off. It had begun from worrying about Peter knowing what Faith was to how he’d reacted around her. He hadn’t liked the way he’d touched her, nope, and had maybe inwardly cheered that Derek had went after him at that point. As far as he was concerned, Derek had went Dark side and so warranted no further thoughts or worries. He didn’t think Faith would be doing the same thing considering how she acted in the car when she’d woken; he’d hidden his surprise that her first thoughts had been about Derek. If Stiles didn’t know Faith cared about the traitorous werewolf, he sure as hell did now.

The one thought Stiles hadn’t been able to shake – Why had Peter been killing people around town and going after Mr. Harris? There were a few ideas but the common denominator had been the Hale fire. He would have voiced his thoughts with Scott but he could had heard Scott’s deep even breathing signalling he was asleep.

It was half way through the night and he was still wide awake that he heard Scott begin to toss and turn, mumbling incoherently and from many sleepovers throughout the years; Stiles knew that once Scott fell asleep then he was basically comatose until morning. He didn’t want to think of Scott having nightmares but he figured it must have been because of what Peter had done to him. He’d fallen into an unrestful sleep soon after.

Getting home and finding Faith in the kitchen cooking had silenced his worries about her but he knew that last night’s events were just the beginning and he didn’t know what to do with what was to come. He just hoped that everyone would get through it and things could go back to somewhat normality or their version of it at least.

He hadn’t been able to forget Faith’s outburst at the dining table. It had been sheer shock keeping him from saying anything. Of course, he knew that Faith’s life was fraught with danger and she was constantly battling or other but he didn’t think it was every day. It had made him wonder whether Faith would be able to stay in Beacon Hills like he desperately wanted and if she did, would she be happy with ‘normality’.  He didn’t want her to change who she was as he could easily see that she loved being a Slayer but even from what she’d told him, it took its toll. Buffy had retired, could Faith do the same?

Stiles knew it was sheer selfishness that had him wanting her to stay and he’d decided whilst getting dressed that he was going to stop pushing her. The decision had hurt like hell but he wanted her to stay because _she_ wanted to and not because he and his dad had guilted her into it.

While walking back down the stairs, he could make out Scott and Faith discussing what had happened after the lacrosse game and Peter’s subsequent mind meld that he’d pulled. As he stepped into the kitchen they both ceased their conversation to acknowledge him.

“What?” he looked at them innocently. “What’s wrong?”

Faith laughed. “Your face,” she joked as Scott laughed with her.

“Jealousy doesn’t suit you,” he grinned. “Have I ever told you that you’re my favourite cousin?” he smiled at her as he walked over to pull the plate laden with syrup covered pancakes towards him. He leaned back against the countertop to stand shoulder to shoulder with Faith.

Faith smiled back at him. “We’ve discussed this already… even if you were drunk at the time.” She bumped his shoulder with her own. “I’m your _only_ cousin.”

“Point still stands.” He took another mouthful and smiled as the taste washed over him. “So,” he said through the mouthful of food, he looked to Scott. “Have you told her what you told me about Peter’s Professor X skills?”

Scott nodded at him.

Faith shrugged. “My guess is that seeing his reasoning for killing and needing him in his pack is more persuasive than just telling him. Anyone can lie and he knows that Scott wouldn’t believe his words and since his actions didn’t exactly help him in the beginning, he decided this was the only way.”

“I’d try cookies,” Stiles quipped. “No one can say no to cookies. It beats claws in the neck and a mind fuck any day, just saying.”

Faith took a bite of her pancake, ignoring him. “Well, from what Scott told me, it hasn’t changed anything, right?” She took Scott’s answer as agreement as his mouth was full of pancake and syrup was dripping down his chin. “We just have to figure out a way to stop him. He’s not going anywhere without Scott as he needs him.”

“Along with Derek,” Stiles muttered. “I’m gonna just say now that I told you so.”

Faith scowled at him. “I wouldn’t count Derek out just yet.”

“I’m sorry? Are we talking about the same man who went all Empire Strikes back and joined with Peter, his _uncle_ , to get Scott? It’s Lando and Han Solo, I’m telling you.”

Faith shook her head. “Lando ended up helping Leia to save Han Solo in Return of the Jedi,” she countered as Stiles shot her a glare. Her attention was brought to Scott as he stared at her and Stiles in confusion. “Why are you looking at us like that?” She asked him.

Scott opened his mouth to reply but Stiles answered for him. “He’s never seen Star Wars. He has no idea who we are talking about.”

“How is that even possible?” Faith asked incredulously. “How can you not know Star Wars?”

“I know, right?” Stiles looked at Scott knowingly. Scott returned the look with a glare of contempt. “I’m embarrassed for him. I can’t believe I call him my best friend.”

Scott rolled his eyes and turned to find Faith staring at him with disbelief. He gave her a meek smile and a slight shrug at the unasked question he could see in her eyes.

Stiles pointed an accusing finger at Faith, bringing her gaze back to him. “Don’t use your Wars knowledge to prove me wrong. It’s not fair… however, I’m somewhat proud.”

“Derek didn’t do anything to me, Stiles,” Scott interjected. “In fact, he didn’t look like he wanted to be anywhere near Peter when we were in the locker room. He barely looked at him.”

“Nobody wants to be near Peter. Look up ‘creepy’ in the dictionary and there’s a picture of Peter along with a warning label to stay the fuck away.”

“I think Derek has another agenda when it comes to Peter,” Faith said. “I don’t know what since he wouldn’t tell me.” Faith cringed inwardly; she hadn’t meant to reveal she’d seen Derek.

Stiles spun to face her in shock, choking slightly. Derek had been in his house again and Faith had waited until then to tell him? “Excuse me?” he asked incredulously. “Derek was here?”

“That explains why it smells like Derek,” Scott murmured, receiving a glare from Stiles for interrupting.

“Don’t look at me like that and don’t think I don’t know what you are thinking,” Faith pointed at Stiles with her fork. “So just stop with the face and the judging. We’ve been through this before and he’s not going to hurt me and since he’s knows I’m the Slayer…”

“He knows?” Stiles all but shouted. He winced at his tone, watching Faith and Scott doing the same.

All three of them looked to the ceiling when they heard a creak from upstairs; breathing a sigh of relief as a snore sounded moments later. Faith glared at Stiles. “It was either me or Peter and I’d rather he’d heard it all from me,” she said. “It’s done now and it’s changed nothing. Do you see him around here?”

Stiles opened his mouth to reply as Scott spoke up, stopping his friend from saying something stupid. “Even I know that’s rhetorical Stiles.”

Stiles didn’t know what to do so he continued to eat; chewing loudly and obnoxiously, refusing to look at his cousin or his best friend. He hated that Derek had been in the house, alone with Faith while she had been hurt.

“There are other things to worry about,” Faith chastised him as he seethed. “You don’t get to do that frowny face or act like your hurt. Derek came to get his stuff and I wouldn’t let him leave so whatever you are thinking just stop.”

“I saw how Peter was with you and it freaked me out just watching. What if Derek wanted to find out what you were to use against you?”

Faith grinned. “The fact you have to even ask that means you were paying attention to the wrong werewolf at the hospital. Peter knew I was a Slayer and he can’t use it against me. Instead, he used that knowledge to provoke Derek.”

Stiles huffed at her as Faith returned with an eye roll.

Scott looked between them before coughing slightly to garner both their attention. “Peter aside. We do have another problem. What are we going to do about Jackson? The Argents think he’s the second beta. They are going to go after him.”

Faith regarded him, seeing the obvious worry in his expression. He may not like Jackson but he wouldn’t want his death on his conscious, whether it was from an Argent or Peter. Faith understood and although she could nothing when it came to Peter, she could with the Argents. She hadn’t really been planning on revealing who she was to the hunters yet but needs must and all. Now was a good a time as any.

“I’ll deal with the Argents,” she stated as both boys turned to her wide eyed.

“What are you going to do?” They asked in unison.

Faith grinned at them. “I think it’s time I introduced myself.”

Stiles choked, his face filled with fear while Scott continued to gape at her in silence.

“You can’t!” Stiles protested. He looked to Scott for help. “Tell her she can’t.”

“Why not?” Faith asked him curiously, looking between them. “They’ve had a Slayer under their noses for months and they had no idea. Amateurs,”  
she scoffed. “Besides, I’m going to have to do it sooner or later and I don’t want them finding out any other way.”

Stiles sputtered, making more noise than using actual words but his concerns looked to be falling on deaf ears. He didn’t know how hunters were going to react to a Slayer but if they thought the same way as Faith did about hunters then it wasn’t going to go well. “Death wish. That’s what you’ve got… a death wish.”

“My death was a done deal the moment I became a Slayer. I’ve just been dodging the scythe since then,” Faith said. “Considering I’m still here, I think I’m doing pretty well.” Seeing the disdainful look from Stiles she added. “I’m hoping to put enough fear into them to either back down or get the fuck out of town. As much as I love you kiddo, you are about as intimidating as Elmo,” she laughed as she pulled him into a one armed hug. “I’m doing this to keep you and Scott safe. Trust me,” she whispered to him.

He nodded at her, eyes cast to the ground. “I get it. I don’t like it but I get it.”

“We both do,” Scott said from his position at the refrigerator.

“Good.” Faith moved, taking her and Scott’s empty plates to the sink, depositing them quietly before spinning to face them. “You two find Jackson and if I know hunters, which I do, then an Argent will be there too.” If she was lucky then it would be Kate but she knew that Kate’s efforts were in looking for Derek.

“I can find Jackson easily enough,” Scott pointed out. “He’s got a distinctive scent.”

“Yeah, Eau De Asshole,” Stiles muttered. “What?” he said, feigning innocence. Faith laughed at him.

Scott grinned. “Exactly.”

Stiles finished the last of his food carefully, taking the empty plate and placing it beside the others. “So,” he clapped his hands together, “let’s save Jackson.” He grimaced, groaning. “Urgh, I can’t believe I actually said that. Explain to me again why we are actively going out of way to help the King of all that is dickish and douche?”

Scott laughed, clapping a hand to Stiles’ shoulder. “Because it’s the right thing to do.”

“Speak for yourself. My karma is up to date,” Stiles snorted. Scott and Faith sighed, rolling their eyes at him. He lifted his hand in mock defence.

“Fine, fine but I just want to be the first to one to say that he’s not going to listen to us and this will have been for nothing.”

“Well, if he doesn’t listen to you,” Faith said, standing between Scott and Stiles. “Then perhaps he’ll listen to me. I can be persuasive when I want to be,” she grinned at them both before leaving them standing in the kitchen staring after her. “Come on you two. We should get this over with.”

***

Faith had decided that the boys should take Stiles’ jeep and she would take her car. She had explained that if there was an Argent with Jackson, she didn’t care which one, then she wanted to separate them. Keeping Jackson out of this as much as possible was safer for him, despite his intention of wanting the bite. There wasn’t a hope in hell of her letting that happen. Jackson becoming a werewolf would be a bad idea. He sounded like a bully from all the things that Scott and Stiles had told her and he’d be worse with that kind of power under his belt.

She knew meeting a hunter alone wasn’t going to be easy, or safe. Hunters disliked Slayers, if they knew of them, because they tended to takeover wherever they went. Past dalliances with hunters had never gone well, except on a few occasions and even then the world had to be ending for that to happen.

In case things went south, Faith had grabbed her favourite knives from the trunk of her car and in turn, shown Stiles and Scott the personal armoury she’d brought with her from Cleveland. A sharp slap to his hand had been the one and only warning Stiles had received after he’d attempted to reach out and touch her crossbow. He’d gotten the message quickly and had taken a step away from the trunk, muttering that he had only been looking. Scott had stopped short when he’d gotten a whiff of Wolfsbane after Faith had opened the trunk. She’d apologised before explaining that Dawn had FedExed it to her after debacle with Derek at the vets and had coated her knives and arrows in it.

They’d left soon after with promises from both of them that they weren’t to touch her weapons unless she’d told them to and even then hell would need to be freezing over before she let that happen.

It hadn’t taken long for Scott to locate Jackson and they had found him doing doughnuts at an abandoned warehouse in the industrial district. They’d watched him carefully as they hid a good distance away. The boys had wanted to interrupt him and talk but Faith warned that they probably weren’t the only ones watching Jackson at that moment and they needed to wait.

It wasn’t until Jackson’s Porsche had stopped that they got their break. Anyone else watching the scene would think it was just some kid who had car trouble and a responsible and respected member of the community was just trying to help him out. Faith guessed that Jackson’s car trouble wasn’t an accident.

Faith instructed Stiles and Scott to come between Chris Argent and Jackson and quickly. She didn’t think Chris would actually hurt the kid in broad daylight considering she’d read his file and he hadn’t seemed the type. This was recon, pure and simple; figuring out if Jackson was the intended target by questioning and looking for an obvious signs he was a werewolf. Scott had mentioned that Jackson had a wound on his neck that look like could have been made by claw marks and that was what had alerted the Argents. Faith didn’t know how Jackson could have gotten the mark and didn’t really care but it was enough to have the Argents on his ass and that she did care about. He was an innocent, despite Stiles claims that he was a dick, and he was going to need their help; whether he appreciated or not was another thing altogether.

She watched as the boys came to a stop beside them and a conversation began between them. When Chris got in his car to leave after he ‘fixed’ the problem with Jackson’s car, Faith started her car, driving in the direction of where Stiles, Scott and Jackson were. She pressed hard on the pedal, speeding faster towards her target, leaving a good distance from the warehouse and the boys. She followed the car before veering off, speeding to get ahead of Chris for the next part of her plan.

It wasn’t like Faith had a good plan or any plan really but she’d accomplished the first thing – get Chris separated from Jackson and on his own. However, this wasn’t her first rodeo and she could wing herself through worse.

As Faith came upon Chris’ red Chevy Tahoe, coming up to the crossroad, she slowed down enough to make what was to happen look as accidental as it could. As they got closer and closer, Faith braced herself for the impact as her car rode into Chris’ path. She let out a slight breath as she heard the familiar screech of breaks and then nothing, no impact.

“What the hell?” Faith heard Chris shout as he got out his car, coming around to the passenger side of Faith’s car. “Are you alright?” he asked as he peered into the window just as Faith exited the car.

“I’m so sorry,” Faith said, feigning sincerity. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt? Was there any damage?” she came around to her car to stand in front of him. She took him in quickly, assessing that he wasn’t bad looking for a hunter. She learned quickly that good looking hunters weren’t anything special, big mouthed and pig-headed but nothing to write home about.

Chris looked to Faith and then to his own car. He shook his head. “No, I didn’t hit you. You were lucky. What were you thinking?”

Faith gave him her best sweet smile, biting her lip. “I wasn’t paying attention and I know I should have been. Please don’t tell my uncle.” She pretended to look panicked as she widened her eyes at him. “He’s the Sheriff and he wouldn’t be happy if he found out.”

“You're Sheriff Stilinski’s niece?” Chris asked incredulously.

Faith nodded, lowering her eyes and biting her lip again. “I’m here on vacation and I promised I wouldn’t get into any trouble. You wouldn’t do that Mr Argent, would you? You wouldn’t tell on lil’ old me,” she smirked as she raised her head to look at him, eyebrow raised.

“I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage,” he said, trying to appear nonchalant at the obvious change in atmosphere. It wasn’t often he was taken by surprise.

Faith shrugged at him. “I suppose it’s something you are used to… _always_ being at a disadvantage.” She leant against the passenger door opposite him, arms crossed. “Isn’t that a hunters MO?”

“Is that so?” he asked, failing to hide the surprise in his face and tone at her brazenness. “Do I get to know who you are? It’s a little unfair that you know me and I don’t know you.”

Faith held out her hand for him to shake, unsure of whether he’d take it or go for the gun under his jacket. She watched him look her out stretched hand a moment before grabbing it with his own. “Faith Lehane,” Faith introduced, giving his hand a small shake. She’d been tempted to squeeze but she didn’t want to give the game away just yet. She was having fun watching him try to figure out who or what she was. She let his hand go, placing her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket. “Good enough for you?”

Chris took in the defensive stature of Faith, sizing her up slowly. No weapons that he could make out but that didn’t mean she wasn’t carrying _something_ and he’d be an idiot if he thought she’d done all of this and completely unarmed. His own training and experience had him on alert ever since she’d lost the dumb girl façade; something about her screamed to him that she was dangerous. “You could be lying.”

Faith gave him a speculative look. “I could be but I know you’ll look me up. Really no point in lying, is there?”

Chris stayed silent at Faith’s obvious and brazen attitude. “You stopped me for a reason.  Care to tell me what that is?” he spit out.

Faith laughed loud, shaking her head at him. “Wow, you’d think I was a werewolf with the way you are acting.” She watched as Chris bristled at the word ‘werewolf’. “You see Chris, you and I have something in common and I figured that since we will be seeing a lot of each other, I should introduce myself. Take care of the formalities now as there won’t be any time later.”

Before Chris could respond, Faith pushed herself up, walking around her car, getting in. She leaned to look out the passenger window at him. “It was nice meeting you. I’m afraid the next time we’ll meet won’t be so… easy,” she said, winking. “Oh and Chris,” she started, “maybe you should be concentrating your efforts on dealing with the crazed Alpha running around town rather than some pretty boy lacrosse co-captain. Last I checked he wasn’t the one running around town killing people. Do your job.”

Chris heard threat in her tone and it made the hairs on the back of his neck rise. “Is that a threat?”

Faith gave him a wide-toothed grin. “Just some friendly advice.” She drove off, giving him a small wave goodbye.

***

Chris stood, motionless in shock and a little bit of awe; unable to really take in what had just happened. He had to admit that it was the most surreal introduction that he’d ever had. It wasn’t really an introduction either, more like this ‘Faith Lehane’ pointing him in a direction, leaving him to follow the proverbial bread crumbs. She gave him enough to be intrigued and left with as much mystery as she did when she’d ran out in front of him.

She was…something and she’d been right when his first though had been she was a werewolf but he’d quickly dismissed it, even if her entire demeanour screamed predator at him. He’d spent his whole life hunting wolves and they generally didn’t try and run you off the road to garner your attention. No, she was something else and whatever it was had him on edge.

He may not have known who Faith was before being introduced, but he’d seen her before. Most recently he and Kate saw her and Stiles at the crime scene. He thought nothing of it at the time at they'd been more interested in Stiles. But now he felt foolish and a little angry; he didn’t like being at a disadvantage with anything. He hadn’t forgotten that she’d also made a point to mention that she was related to the Sheriff; making sure Chris knew coming after her wasn’t an option.

Another thing she was right about – Chris was going to look her up. She was cocky for a reason and he wanted to know exactly who he was dealing with. He pulled his cell from his jacket, hitting his speed dial and a number he hadn’t called in long while but he needed his information fast. As per usual, his call went to voicemail. There was no voice telling him who he was calling, just a beep indicating it was time to leave a message.

“It’s me. I’m calling in a favour. I want everything you have on Faith Lehane and I need it by tomorrow. You know where to send it,” he said without missing a beat. He hung up, placing his cell back in his jacket.

He looked one last time in the direction she had sped off. With a final shake of his head, he got back in his car and headed back home. He hadn’t considered this meeting as _easy_ , even if Faith had described it as such. It left him wondering what their next meeting would entail but he knew he’d have to wait until he could secure all the information he could get on Faith Lehane.

He had to give her something; it was one hell of an introduction! He definitely wouldn’t be forgetting her any time soon. The jury was still out on whether or not that was a good thing.


	16. P is for Protect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** See Chapter 1. Some dialogue taken from episode 10, Co-Captain.  
>  **A/N:** Another update and it was delayed but that was sadly due to real life. Apologies but unforseen and sad circumstances put a halt on writing. Anyhoo, thanks, as always, to those of you reading and to all reviews I have received. It's always appreciated and makes me smile when I get an email relating to a review. 
> 
> Always, a mahoosive thank you to Noturbaby. I don't think she realises how awesome she truly is and such a big help to me.

**Chapter 16: P is for Protect**

Faith drove back to the warehouse to find Scott and Jackson facing off against each other, shouting and screaming; Stiles between them unsure of whether to get involved. Scott’s anger was evident and Stiles’ jeep was taking the brunt of it. Faith didn’t think it could handle another couple of love taps. She didn’t think Stiles could handle it either.

The teens were so engrossed in their argument that they didn’t hear her approach. She could hear Scott yelling at Jackson about how he was going to get himself killed because of his antics and that the Argents thought he was the second beta. Jackson didn’t sound too interested and was giving back just as good as he got. Faith didn’t know if Jackson knew exactly what he was doing or if he had a death wish to rival her own but even she could see that Scott was seconds off punching him. She came around from Scott’s left, hearing him shout.

“When they come after you, I won’t be able to protect you. I can’t protect anyone,” he confessed. His eyes landed on Stiles in sorrow. He went to go and hit the jeep again but Faith caught his fist in her own, tightening the hold. She didn’t wince from the force of which it hit her but she knew that if he’d hit the jeep he’d have caused some serious damage. Stiles would probably have cried.

“I think the jeep has taken enough damage, don’t you think?” she said as she squeezed Scott’s fist, hard enough to gain his attention from Jackson to her. She heard Stiles give out a breath of relief.

Scott turned his eyes to Faith before glancing down to where she had her hand clasped around his own. He looked up at her with shock as he felt her crushing his hand. It was the power he could feel emanating from her and the clear warning in her eyes that had him stop, calm down. He gave her a small nod of understanding.

“You aren’t on your own with this,” she whispered low enough for only him to hear. “I won’t let anything happen. Okay?” She glanced to Stiles, Scott’s eyes following her. She gave his fist a comforting squeeze. She understood how he felt and could sympathise with his worries. Being a teenager was hard enough already.

Stiles saw the look of his best friend and cousin gave him. “Why are you looking at me?” he asked them.

Before anyone could respond, Jackson butted in. “You?” he looked at Faith in surprise. “What the hell are you doing here? Wait, you’re with _them_?” he asked incredulously, pointing to Stiles and Scott.

Faith rolled her eyes at Jackson as she crossed her arms.

Stiles and Scott looked between them in confusion. “You two know each other? How the hell did I miss that?” Stiles asked, his eyes continuing to flit from Faith to Jackson. “ _When_ the hell did I miss that?”

“It was the day dimples… Danny got hurt,” Faith answered him, her stare never leaving Jackson. She’d taken a liking to Danny after the ‘Miguel’ incident and had started to refer to him as ‘dimples’. The kid did have a killer set on him. “Jackson offered to help me find my way around school. I politely declined.”

“You wish,” he scoffed. “Why would I waste my time with the likes of you?” He looked down his nose at her. He turned to Stiles and Scott. “You could have done so much better. I’d ask for a refund.”

Stiles glared at him as he moved forward, fists clenched in anger and indignation for Faith. Scott blocked him with his arm and a slight shake of his head.

Faith raised her eyebrow at Jackson, a small smirk on her face. She shook her head. “Someone can’t handle rejection,” she snorted. “Sorry Jacky boy but jailbait ain’t my type and I’d ruin a pretty little thing like you.”

“Why would I lower my standards for a skank like you?” Jackson spat out. He smirked at her, arms crossed. “You aren’t worth my time or my money for that matter.” He leered at her with a smug grin. “Unlike these two, I don’t need to pay for it.”

At that, Scott and Stiles took a step towards him in anger but Faith blocked them from advancing by positioning herself in front of Jackson. She could appreciate them trying to stand up for her but she could look after herself. Boys like Jackson were child’s play. “Now, now,” she cooed at him. She gave him a small shake of her head in pity. “I think we established after the first time we met that you are out of your depth, even now.”

“As I told Scott, it’s his fault!” He shouted at her, arms indicating to Scott behind her.

“Why?” she asked him. Without missing a beat she continued on. “Can’t handle someone being better than you, is that it?” She took a step towards him, revelling when he took a small step back. “Or it is that you are finally getting to see that you are no better than anyone else?”

“I am,” Jackson sneered at her.

“Wrong,” she growled at him. “All mummy and daddy’s money isn’t going to help you in the real world. You can’t buy everything.”

“Says someone with no money, no power,” he said, arms crossing again defensively.

Faith laughed at Jackson. “You think I have no money?” she taunted. “You think I can’t buy a Porsche and drive around town like I own the place? Taunt and bully those I deem lower than me?” She shook her head at him. She inched forward, pushing him back against his car, bracketing him between her arms. “I could buy a hundred Porsches and still have enough money left to buy this town and everyone in it, even _you_. I could make you my bitch. Treat you lower than I would treat a dog, make you worship the ground I walk on and you wanna know the best thing…?” Jackson gasped out loud as Faith leaned in so they were face to face. She could feel his breath; feel his heart pounding wildly in his chest. She could practically taste his fear. “… You’d love every single second and _beg_ me for more.” She took a step back as he let out a stuttered breath. She brushed his jacket down absentmindedly before giving his lapels a small tug. “Now tell me, who doesn’t have power?”

Jackson swallowed hard. He glared at her, completely oblivious to Stiles and Scott behind her. “You are insane.” He pushed away from him but found she barely moved. When he went to push again, Faith stepped back out of his reach, her hands raised.

“Pfft,” she scoffed, “Coming from the boy who wants the bite because he isn’t number one anymore,” Faith mocked, rolling her eyes at him. She took another step back from Jackson, coming to stand beside Scott and Stiles. She refused to look at either of them for fear of what she’d see. She knew she was pushing Jackson hard but the kid didn’t look the like the rational and logical way was working on him. “It won’t solve your problems. It will make things worse.”

“Oh yeah, really?” Jackson said, fists clenched, anger radiating from him in waves. “McCall can hear anything he wants and run faster than humanly possible. Sounds like such a _hardship_ for him.”

“Yeah,” Scott scoffed at him as he stepped ahead of Faith. “I can run really fast now – except half the time, I’m running away from people trying to kill me. And I can hear things like…” he stuttered a moment, as those the next words were hard for him to admit, “…like my girlfriend telling people that she doesn’t trust me anymore right before breaking up with me. I’m not lying to you! It ruins your life.”

Faith watched as Stiles clasped Scott on the shoulder in support. She felt bad for Scott and wished there was something she could do for him and then there was the ever present feeling of guilt because she knew she was still lying to him, and Stiles, about the supposed ‘cure’.

Jackson barked out a laugh. “It ruined your life? You had all the power in the world, and you didn’t know what to do with it. You know what it’s actually like? It’s like you turned sixteen and someone brought you a Porsche when they should have started you out with a nice little Honda. Me? I drive a Porsche.”

“What happens when you destroy it?” Faith piped up, arms crossed and a hard look in her eyes. “Ignorant kids like you always do.” She barked out a harsh laugh. “Of course, mummy and daddy will just buy you another one but you’ll just do the same again. You learn nothing.” She pushed forward, trapping Jackson against his car again. “Tell me something, you get the bite and then what?” She grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket, pulling him closer to her. “You’re still gonna be the scared, lonely and miserable little boy that you are now. Being a werewolf isn’t going to change who you are deep down inside,” she said as she poked him in the chest. “As pathetic as you are now… I bet you won’t last five minutes.”

Jackson shoved her back but only managed to allow her to step back. “You don’t know anything.”

Faith barked out a sarcastic laugh. “I know you better than you think. I can guarantee that you will fuck up with this and when you do, I’ll be waiting.” She crowded herself into Jackson’s space. “And I’m worse than any hunter that would come after you. I don’t tire easily, I don’t give up and I _always_ get my prey.” She pushed her finger into his chest, watching his pupils dilate in surprise and terror. She needed to scare him and this was the only way to do it. She leaned in close, her body parallel to Jackson’s, pushing him into his Porsche. “Go home and stay the fuck away from things you have no idea about or can handle. The bite isn’t happening, not now. Not _ever_.” She pulled back to stare into his wide and frightened eyes. “Monsters fear me coming after them. Let’s hope you listen to what I’m saying and you won’t find out why. Are we clear?”

Faith kept her intense gaze fixed on Jackson’s. She allowed herself to push away when he gave the slightest nod of his head. If she didn’t know any better she’d bet that the kid didn’t even know he’d even moved. She walked backwards, her eyes constantly watching the myriad of emotions crossing Jackson’s features. He visibly gulped, his eyes filled with fear. She could see him mentally debating with himself on what to do next.

Jackson looked to Stiles behind Faith before landing on Scott. He frowned at him, staring daggers before pushing away from Faith. He clumsily made his way into his car, slammed the door and drove off, leaving dust in his wake.

“Hands up, who pissed themselves along with Jackson?” Stiles spoke up through the uncomfortable silence that had fallen in Jackson’s wake. When he received no reply from either Scott or Faith he added. “No? Must be me then. Well…” he clapped his hands together. “I think that went… yeah, it went… Clusterfucks have gone better.”

“I didn’t like doing that,” Faith whispered. “It was the only way…” She looked to her hands to find them balled into tight fists, knuckles white. She let out a deep breath, allowing her fists to uncurl. She clenched and unclenched them a few times to get the blood back flowing to her fingers. Faith ignored the intense and worried gazes she could feel coming from Stiles and Scott. She hadn’t been lying to Jackson. She would go after him and she would take him out if need be. The rest had been just to push the kid. At one point Faith could see that Jackson didn’t know whether he was scared or turned on. She couldn’t help the rush of power that had given her, even if it she did feel dirty now.

Faith knew scaring Jackson was the only thing they had going for them. He was never going to listen to reason, even if was to help keep him alive and she’d known that the moment she’d met the kid outside the school. Making him almost piss himself in fear hadn’t been part of it but the more Faith could see his defiance at her words, the angrier she got. She was angry that the kid knew the danger and his stupid pride that wouldn’t allow him to back down.

She didn’t feel guilt about Jackson; she felt guilt that she’d allowed Scott and Stiles to see a glimpse of the person she used to be and that was stopping her looking at either of them. She was disgusted with herself and also scared that this would be the moment that everything would come spilling out.

She was right when she told Dawn she was fucked.

Faith let out a hard laugh at her circumstance. She looked up to find no disappointment in Stiles or Scott’s eyes but alarm. She laughed again and watched the two of them share worried glances.

“Did I miss the punchline somewhere?” Stiles asked Scott, who shrugged at him in answer. “What’s so funny?” Stiles grabbed her arm, pulling her back to face him. He was looking at her in question but she could also see a hint of fear. Dread coiled in the pit of her stomach from his intense stare.

She shook her head at him. She carefully pried Stiles hand from her arm, ignoring the hurt look he gave her. “He didn’t listen to a damn word I said,” she explained. Faith ran a hand through her hair in frustration. She needed to concentrate on the issue at hand with Jackson. “Not one single word sunk in to his thick skull.”

“Even after all that? Which I can only describe as a profoundly graphic and terrifying description,” Stiles said, rubbing his hand over his buzz cut nervously. “It wasn’t even aimed at me and it scared me shitless. It was… yeah, it was intense.” He winced, shoulders sagging when Faith levelled him with sombre look. He opened his mouth to apologise but Faith raised her hand to cut him off. Stiles clamped his mouth shut looking contrite He nervously stuffed his hands into his pockets, shifting uncomfortably.

“What?” Scott asked her with concern. Faith turned her attention to him. “What do you think he’s going to do now that he knows I won’t help him get the bite?”

“He’s going to find the one person who can,” Faith said. “And Peter will kill him the moment he gets his hands on him, or worse, turn him and leave him to the Argents.”

‘ _I’d deal with him before that happens_ ,’ she thought sadly, ducking her head a moment. Faith knew that if Jackson turned and killed someone then she’d have to get involved. She would want to be involved and like hell the Argents would get their hands on him.

“Allison wouldn’t let anything happen to Jackson,” Scott stated proudly. “They’re friends.”

Faith looked at Scott as though he’d just grown a second head. “Do you think Allison will even get a say if Jackson kills someone? Do you think Chris or even _Kate_ ,” she spat, “will let him live?” She took a small step toward Scott, causing him to step back into Stiles. “Tell me something Scott, what would you do if Jackson went for Allison? Your mom?” She looked to Stiles. “Lydia? Uncle Stan… Me?” She asked them both, looking from Scott and then Stiles. “Would you want to save him then?”

“No,” Stiles answered her honestly causing Scott and even Faith to look at him in shock. There was no sarcasm, nothing. He looked strong, determined and Faith? She didn’t know what to do with that. It was the first time she’d seen that hard look on his face and it unnerved her. She’d seen it on her own enough times but to see it mirrored in him was quite frightening. She just hoped it was over protectiveness and nothing else lingering under the surface. Stiles didn’t need that sort of darkness in him, he was good. She wasn’t stupid to go as far as to say he was innocent. They were related after all.

“Scott?” Faith asked a shocked Scott bringing his attention back to her.

“I don’t know,” he replied as he stood away from Stiles. “I don’t want to think that far ahead.”

Faith gave him a slight nod. “Well, let’s hope it doesn’t get to that. I’m going to keep watch over pretty boy and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”

“What will you do if he does?” Scott questioned. “You wouldn’t hurt him, right?”

“I wouldn’t touch him,” Faith said. “However, how much does he love that Porsche?” She gave Stiles a grin and a quick wink. He looked so dejected that she had to throw him a bone. She knew he hadn’t meant to hurt her with his words. She was sick of them constantly going back and forth and she knew it was her own fault but she still wasn’t ready for the ‘I was a psycho bitch who killed and tortured for funsies… Oh and I tried to start an apocalypse’ talk just yet.

Stiles gave a sigh, his shoulders relaxing. He matched her grin with one of his own. “You wouldn’t?”

Scott looked between Stiles and Faith in confusion. “Wouldn’t what?” he asked them both. His eyes widened when he realised what Faith was talking about. “You can’t do that. Jackson loves that car.”

Faith raised her hands up in mock surrender. “I didn’t say I was going to do anything and it’s not like he could pin it on me if I did.”

Stiles laughed. “Can I watch?”

Scott turned to Stiles pointing at him. “Don’t encourage her!” Stiles raised his hands up silently mimicking Faith’s stance from before.

Faith stepped up to Scott, placing a placating hand on his shoulder. “I’m not going to do anything… unless I have to and even then I’d make sure Jackson didn’t get hurt.” She held up her hand to cut off Stiles as he opened his mouth to speak. “Despite the fact he’s a dick and deserves at least one junk punch,” she added earning a beaming smile from Stiles.

Scott laughed at her. “You are just as bad as he is.” He nodded at Stiles.

“Nah, he’s much worse,” Faith said.

Stiles held out his arms and huffed. “I’m feeling the love here guys, really. Oh, I see how it is, the Slayer and the werewolf ganging up on the human!”

Faith and Scott turned to him. “Well, Scott would know if I was lying, just saying.” She looked to Scott who nodded at her, smirking.

Stiles crossed his arms. “Sometimes I really don’t like you.”

Scott laughed. “Lie.”

“Don’t encourage her!” Stiles frowned, shoving a finger into Scott’s shoulder. “It gives her ideas.” His frown broke and he started to laugh along with Faith and Scott. All the tension from before was put aside but not forgotten. “What happened with Chris Argent?” he asked as they calmed down.

Faith shrugged. “He won’t be forgetting that meeting anytime soon,” she replied. “He has my name now and that I know he’s a hunter. I’ll give him twenty-four hours before he has it figured out. Not that there’s gonna be a lot for him to find. Any longer than that then I’m embarrassed for him.”

“What did you do?” Scott queried.

Faith gave a satisfied smirk. “You can say I just ran into him… or well, his car nearly ran into me.” She let out a laugh. “He’s not bad looking for a hunter.”

Stiles grimaced. “That’s not something I needed to hear, ever.”

“Me either,” Scott agreed. “He’s Allison’s dad… and he’s married.”

“Should we mention that he’s old? Like, way older than you,” Stiles pointed out. “It would just be…” He stopped, visibly shuddering.

“Hasn’t stopped me before boys,” Faith teased. She chuckled as Scott noticeably cringed.

Stiles put his fingers in his ears. “I don’t need to listen to this,” he shouted at her. “I’m not listening. La la la la la,” he sang. He pulled a finger out his ear and pointed at himself. “This is me not listening.” He promptly put his finger back into his ear, turning away from Faith and Scott, humming loudly.

Faith chuckled as she patted Scott on the shoulder. “I’m kidding. Besides there’s…”

“Derek,” Scott finished for her. He smiled when he caught Faith’s startled expression. “I’m not as oblivious as people think I am and I’m not stupid. You were covered in Derek’s scent and you can’t get that from just standing near each other,” he said low enough that Stiles couldn’t hear. Scott had been friends with Stiles long enough to know his best friend had bat like hearing, even while he had his fingers in his ears and humming to himself.

“It’s nothing,” Faith commented lightly as she looked away to where Stiles was standing aimlessly.

“You don’t need me to tell you that was a lie but I’m gonna put some of that obliviousness to good use,” Scott said with a small smile.

Faith draped her arm around Scott’s shoulders. “Aw shucks kid, I’m gonna have to make you my number one favourite. Stiles has competition.”

“I heard that!” Stiles shouted over his shoulder at them with his fingers still in his ears.

“You were meant to! I said it loud enough,” Faith shouted at him as Scott laughed at the exchange. “It wouldn’t be funny otherwise!”

“I’m just gonna ignore what you just said because I’m the bigger person.”

Faith gave him a pout and a fake hurt expression. Stiles responded with a show of his middle finger.

“What about Chris Argent? Do you think he will come after you one he finds out who you are?” Scott asked.

Faith watched as Stiles turned to face her, his fingers removed from his ears, wanting to hear her answer. She shook her head. “He’s not that stupid but I don’t think it hurt telling him the Sheriff was my uncle.”

If she was honest, she knew that the moment Chris Argent found out she was a Slayer he was going make sure every hunter in town knew she was there and exactly who she was; more for their safety than hers. What she didn’t know was how they were going react… or more importantly how Kate would react. She hoped none of them were stupid enough to come after her on top of everything else going on and that Chris had a good enough handle on _all_ of them to make sure that didn’t happen.

“What if he links Scott with you?” Stiles enquired pulling Faith from her thoughts.

“I turned up after everything went down and I haven’t done any Slayer business while here,” Faith said. “As far as the Argents will find out is that I’m visiting family and got caught up in whatever is going on. There is no other reason I would be here since there’s no vamps or demons and it’s not a Hellmouth. He’s not going to be happy that he’s had a Slayer here the whole time and didn’t know.”

Faith also knew Chris would have to dig real deep to bring up anything about her – benefits of having an undead friend who had worked for a demonic law firm and a red headed witch with awesome hacker skills. Nobody found out anything on Faith that she didn’t want them to know.

“What’s your issue with hunters?” Scott asked tentatively. “You don’t seem to have a lot of respect for them.”

“Respect is earned and I’ve only met a handful of hunters who deserved it,” Faith disclosed. “Hunters tend to see things in black and white and that’s not how the world works. Some even see Slayers as the bad guys and have tried to take us out on occasion.” She shoved her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket. “That doesn’t end well for anyone.”

Scott gave her a slight nod. “Were any of them Argents? Who came after you, I mean?”

Faith shook her head. “If I was worried about the Argents then my introduction would have been way more threatening and violent. I’m more worried about Jackson right now. Hence why I’m gonna become his shadow for a while. That kid has gotten away with so much that he’s started to think the rules weren’t made for him.”

Stiles and Scott both huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, that sounds like Jackson,” Stiles said.

“So Shaggy… Scooby… what have you got planned for today?” Faith asked them.

Stiles gave her wry look.

Faith smirked and shrugged to show she was in no way sorry for what she’d just said.

“I need to find Allison and give her back her necklace,” Scott replied.

“Got an idea on what you are going to tell her? I don’t see you explaining that you sneaked into her room and ‘borrowed’ it,” Faith inquired.

“Misappropriated?” Stiles offered. He shrugged his shoulders at Faith and Scott as they turned to look at him. “Just a suggestion.”

“I’ll say she left it at my house,” Scott stated.

Faith nodded. “Not bad, even sounds believable.” She looked to Stiles. “Kiddo?”

Stiles shrugged. “As awesome as stalking Jackson around all days sounds, I’m gonna pass. I’ve got some things to do at home,” he responded shiftily. “Gonna look up some stuff.”

Faith eyed him warily before giving him a curt nod. “Well, Scott I’ll leave you and the five year old to make your own way home.” She rolled her eyes at the glare Stiles sent her. “Your face will stay like that if the wind changes,” she teased him. She stuck her tongue out at him, rubbing her hand over his head in affection as she walked passed to get to her car. She needed Stiles to be okay before she left. She hadn’t forgotten what had happened before and she could still see he was slightly uneasy with her.

“I’d still be better looking than you,” Stiles shot back at her retreating figure.

“Yet you still wouldn’t know if gay guys find you attractive,” she shouted over her shoulder before ducking into the car. She smirked when she heard Scott’s snort of laughter.

Stiles sputtered at her before holding up his middle finger again. Faith grinned at him before blowing him a kiss and giving him a wink. She’d found out Stiles’ curiosity from his drunken ramblings and from talking in his sleep. The kid talked all day and he was no different during the night, except he tended to express little bit more than she wanted to hear and reveal kinks she didn’t ever need to know about.

She started the car but killed the engine as she heard Stiles shouting at her.

“Wait!” Stiles called out as he ran towards the car. He stopped, bending to peer into the open passenger window, his hand resting on the roof.

Faith turned to him. “Yeah?”

“What happened before…,” he started. “Are we good?”

Faith looked at him curiously. “You thought we weren’t?”

Stiles rubbed the back of his head. “Well, I mean, before,” He indicated with his thumb to where they had been standing and where Scott was now standing on his own, trying to pretend he wasn’t listening in to them and failing. “I didn’t mean that as how it came out. I know you were just trying to help with Jackson.”

Faith gave him a small smile. “We’re five by five, kiddo.” She watched as Stiles beamed at her. “Keep out of trouble,” she jokingly warned. Stiles was never finding out that she was a goner when he or his dad smiled at her like that. She knew he’d use it for evil, or worse, getting what he wants.

“It’s like you think we aren’t related.” He gestured between them. “When am I not in some sort of trouble?”

“Exactly.” Faith laughed at him. “I’ll see you at home.”

“Hey!” Stiles started. “How much…” he trailed off quickly with a shake to his head. “It doesn’t matter… I was just curious.”

Faith gave him a small smile. She’d known Stiles would have picked up that part of her conversation with Jackson. She didn’t flaunt her wealth because she forgot that she had it most days. She’d bought a few extravagant items when she’d first been given the bank account – her Mustang back in Cleveland being one of them and a few personal weapons but the rest was just sitting in a bank. She had never asked for it and even now it had barely been touched. The first time she’d used her card in months was when she paid for the damages to Stiles’ jeep.

“Enough,” she finally answered him. “I have more than I need but enough to keep guilty minds guilt free.”

“Right,” Stiles said with a nod. “Couldn’t give an idea, a ballpark figure maybe?” Without letting Faith answer he asked, “Is it enough to buy say… a country?” When Faith raised her eyebrow he added, “An island?”

Faith let out a bark of laughter. “Bye kiddo.” She gave a small wave to Scott. “Good luck with Allison."

Stiles took a step back as Faith started the car and drove off. As he watched her leave he was oblivious to Scott coming to stand beside him.

“An island? Seriously?” Scott asked him incredulously. He nudged Stiles with his shoulder hard enough to make him stumble slightly.

“Shit!” he shouted at Scott, giving him a small shove back. “I’m getting you a collar! With a bell! What is it with werewolves and wanting to give me an early heart attack?” He ignored Scott laughing at him.

Scott shook his head as he walked back to the jeep and away from his best friend; well used to Stiles’ brand of drama.

“What?” Stiles shouted to Scott’s back. “It wasn’t like you weren’t dying to know either!” He called out. He huffed a moment before heading after Scott.

At least he could check one of his questions off his list. It wasn’t one of the more important one but it was something.

***

Hours later, Faith was ready to call it a day. She’d found Jackson at his home after she’d left Stiles and Scott at the warehouse. She had decided to case the Whittemore house for a while and had been on the money when she’d called Jackson a miserable and lonely boy. The kid treated his parents, adoptive parents as Stiles had told her, with disdain and spent most of his time in his room away from them. He still looked to be seething from their earlier meeting at the warehouse.

Faith knew it wasn’t her place to judge but Jackson’s parents seemed like normal people who just didn’t know how to handle their son and thought that throwing money at the problem would help. She suspected that Jackson probably started retreating away from them after he found out about his adoption. Faith wasn’t feeling sorry for the kid but she could relate. Finding out your family isn’t what you thought can be disconcerting and crushing but Faith could also see that despite their son’s actions, Mr and Mrs Whittemore loved him. He was lucky and it would take time but Jackson would soon figure it out. She just wished Jackson wasn’t such a dick about, well, everything in that time. At first, Faith had only been given Stiles and Scott’s opinions on Jackson but what she’d seen so far had her agreeing with them.

She had sat under Jackson’s window, hidden from the outside world and any nosy neighbours, and listened to Jackson play games for a while before having a heated argument over the phone with Lydia. She listened intently to Jackson’s cruelty in telling Lydia that he had asked Allison Argent to the formal and confirming several times that he wasn’t joking. Faith didn’t need to have supernatural hearing as she could hear Lydia’s shrieks from a floor down. It made her wince but she lacked sympathy for Jackson but she knew the real reason why he’d asked Allison and the kid deserved it. She had to give it to the fiery read head; you didn’t just dump Lydia Martin and think she’d go away quietly.

Still, Faith gave Lydia kudos for how she was handling Jackson and for her tenacity. She hoped she’d get to meet the fiery red head soon. However, she hadn’t forgotten Lydia was still on her shit list for how she treated Stiles and used Scott. It hadn’t gone unnoticed either that Stiles had stopped mentioning Lydia and only talked about her if he was asked.

After it started to get dark and she’d heard nothing coming from Jackson’s room that Faith decided to head home. She didn’t really think that Jackson was going to go out that night to find Peter and ask for the bite but she needed to make sure and it wasn’t like she was doing anything else. Derek was off doing Goddess knows what and she was still waiting for her Intel from Dawn about the mysterious ‘third man/woman’ and Kate Argent.

As Faith drove away from the Whittemore residence she missed Jackson leaving the house and getting into his Porsche.

***

Stiles had done some questionable things in his life…so far – he was still young, but plying his dad with whiskey to keep him talking about the murder investigation was the lowest thing to date. Every time he had filled the glass tumbler with more whiskey it was as though he was also filling himself with guilt that sat like a lead weight in his stomach.

He’d found his dad at the dining room table engrossed in the files scattered over the table top. Stiles had already planned on coming home to do some investigation into the Hale fire using Faith’s laptop and her Council resources ever since he’d had his revelation at Scott’s house about Peter Hale’s murderous motives. It was after he’d begun pouring the whiskey for his dad and knowing his dad’s ability to open up more when he’d had a few drinks that he’d made the decision and run with it.

Stiles didn’t always make the best decisions and his reserved spot in hell was now firmly cemented.

With his dad’s loosened lips he now knew that the Hale fire and murder victims were connected and that there may have been trouble before Laura Hale’s murder occurred with animal deaths. He also learned that his dad didn’t believe Derek killed his sister and that the mountain lion attack at the school was suspicious. Stiles started to connect the dots with the new information but there were still some pieces that were missing but he knew he had to talk to Faith and Scott first.

“You know, I miss talking to you,” Stiles’ dad murmured, bringing Stiles’ attention away from the file he was sifting through. “It’s like we never had time…”

“Dad,” Stiles coughed nervously. He stood up from his chair, pulling out his phone from his pocket. He didn’t want to have this kind of conversation with his dad. He knew he’d been lying to him and distancing himself because of what had been going on but hearing it out loud was hard to stomach. “You know, I have to make a phone call… I’m sorry… I’ll be right back.”

He gave his dad a sympathetic look and stood to go into the kitchen and get some privacy to make his calls but he was stopped by the sound of the front door opening. His heart sunk into his stomach when he heard Faith’s voice.

***

“Hey! I brought dinner!” Faith called out as she came in through the front door. “Don’t worry I got the veggie deluxe for you old man. Sorry but you know how kiddo is.” She kicked the door gently shut behind her as she made her way into the dining room. “What the…?” she whispered as she took in the scene in front of her. She could smell the whiskey from where she stood as she placed the pizza boxes on the table. It was the first time she’d seen her uncle drunk but it was the police files on the table top and the guilty look on Stiles’ face and shifty stance that had her questioning whether her uncle had gotten drunk on his own or if he’d had some help.

The Sheriff had his elbow on the table, head in hand, lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t see his niece in the doorway. He continued talking to Stiles. “I do, I miss it.” He let out an audible sigh. “And I miss your mom,” he confessed.

Faith let out a small gasp at her uncle’s admission. That was the first time her aunt had been mentioned since she’d gotten there and the feelings that it brought felt like a punch to her gut. Her uncle looked up and saw her for the first time. His eyes widened slightly before falling closed. “Faith…,” he said breathlessly. “You look so much like her you know… and your mother.”

Stiles was the one to let out a gasp. “What did you say?” he asked taking a step forward. Having his mom mentioned was bad but his aunt was never talked about. It was known that she passed away years ago and the memories he had of her were sketchy as he’d been so young when she had visited. As far as he was aware, it was a good thing that she was no longer around. He knew absolutely nothing about his uncle and had never been curious to find out either. Some things, he’d learned quickly, should just stay buried.

Faith watched as her uncle picked up the almost empty whiskey bottle to pour another drink. She sped forward, beating Stiles who had the same idea and carefully placed her hand on his arm and used her other hand to gently pry the bottle away from him. Her uncle deflated under her touch.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered with such sorrow. “I shouldn’t have said that. I know how you feel about her.”

Faith kneeled down as she handed the bottle wordlessly to Stiles, watching her uncle’s dejected stance. She grasped her uncle’s hand gently with both her own. “It’s fine,” she said softly. She rubbed his hand affectionately, giving it a small squeeze. She had only briefly mentioned her mother and father to her uncle during their earlier phone calls to one another. She’d made it clear that her aunt, uncle and Stiles were her family and as far as she concerned, her mother and father never existed. Her uncle had been understanding and had agreed that maybe it was for the best. “You need to get some sleep” she admonished him. “You’ve been working too hard.” She stood back up.

Her uncle nodded with a bone deep sigh, allowing Faith to pull him up from his chair wearily. He let go of her hand and attempted to clean up the files on the table.

“We’ll get that dad,” Stiles spoke up, stepping forward. “Faith’s right, you’ve been working too hard.”

Faith watched as her uncle clasped her on the shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze before moving over to Stiles and doing the same. “You’re good kids,” he said to them both as he walked away, heading upstairs. “I love you both.”

Faith’s eyes never left her uncle until he disappeared upstairs with slow, heavy footsteps. She listened as he walked to his room and then heard the familiar squeaks of the bed. She could tell he passed out as the snores started not long after.

She turned to Stiles, who looked so lost that she didn’t know what to say or do. She wanted to hug him and then again, she wanted to shake him for being so irresponsible. She’d never thought he’d ever do anything like that and it was now the second time that day she’d looked at her cousin from a whole other perspective.

“Faith…” Stiles started.

“No!” Faith held up her hand to silence him. “I’m still trying to process all of this.” She watched as Stiles stood in front of her, shoulders hunched and staring at the floor. “Should I even ask how he got in that state or am I going to get angry if I know?” she asked him. “Was it worth it?” she pushed. “Did you get everything you wanted from him or should we bring him back down and pump him for more info? There’s still some whiskey left.” She grabbed the whiskey bottle from his hand, giving it a little wave to emphasise the small of amount of liquid at the bottom before slamming it down onto the table. It was only her complete control of her strength that made sure the glass bottle didn’t break on impact, or go through to table itself. She let out a breath to calm herself down.

“Don’t…,” Stiles choked out, looking absolutely wrecked. “I just thought that if we could find out what they knew that it could help us,” he attempted to explain, pointing at the files.

Faith growled as she walked past him and headed upstairs, ignoring the hurt sound of Stiles voice as he called her name. She grabbed her laptop from the dresser and headed back down the stairs. She found Stiles sitting at the dining table with his head in his hands.

He looked up with red eyes as she placed the laptop on the table in front of him.

“I was going to give you this but things got in the way,” she stated. She sat down opposite Stiles, grabbing a pizza box and proceeded to open it up and eat as she watched Stiles stare at the laptop. “I suggest you open it. It’s not gonna bite.” She took a bite out of her pizza slice.

Stiles opened the laptop, his widened as the screen lit up and the information appeared on screen. “What’s…?” he asked Faith, looking over at her. “Is that…?”

Faith nodded. “I have had Dawn investigating the Hale fire and the murders for a while now. Some things weren’t sitting right with me and we have better resources that the cops.” She calmly placed the half eaten pizza slice back into the box. As she moved forward, her eyes picked up a picture amongst all the files. She pulled it out and could see that it was Derek’s mug shot from the station. The picture itself was ruined as Derek’s eyes blinded the camera and Faith wondered if it had been intentional or if it naturally happened due to his lycanthropy.

“I’m sorry Faith… and I know you have the right to be pissed it me but you can’t make me feel as shit as I do right now,” Stiles rambled as he fidgeted in his chair. “I’ve never done anything like that before. I swear.”

Faith scrubbed her hands down her face letting out a small groan of frustration, letting her head fall forward as she contemplated what to say to Stiles. She didn’t think she could be more disappointed in him.

She sat back in her chair to stare at Stiles. He was folded in the chair and looked seconds off bringing his knees up to curl into a ball. “Are you ok?” she asked tentatively. She knew that his guilt was eating at him but the fact that her aunt was mentioned must have hurt far worse for him. She’d guessed from Stiles shocked reaction that she hadn’t been talked about in a long while. She didn’t really know how to feel about being compared to her aunt and her mother. Faith never talked about her mother and never cared to again. She knew there was a slight resemblance and she’d seen the picture in Stiles’ room enough times to know that her uncle hadn’t been wrong.

Stiles gave a small nod. “Ye… yeah,” he stammered.

Faith raised herself from her chair and moved around to stand in front of Stiles. She couldn’t handle seeing him look so shattered. He looked up at her with wide eyes as she pulled him up off the chair into a tight hug. She felt him tense before his arms clasped around her, his face tucked into her neck. He was taller than her but Faith felt at that moment she was the bigger of the two. She’d never felt more like an adult in her life.

“You and I are gonna make a deal, ok?” she whispered in his ear. She felt him nod tersely. “We aren’t gonna talk about what happened and we won’t mention it to your dad either.” She pulled back to look up at him as he looked down at her in sadness. “As far as he’s aware, he drank too much and we put him to bed. He doesn’t need to know about any of this or what was said.” She gave him a small shake. She brought her hands up to grasp his neck, giving it a light squeeze to ease the tension in him. “You made a mistake. We all make mistakes. It’s what makes us human and I know you will never do it again. I could hold this over you but I wouldn’t do that and nothing I could do can make you feel as bad as you do right now.” She rested her forehead against his gently as he gave her a small nod. She pulled back, keeping her hands on his neck, to see his expression was less sad and more resigned. “You and me kiddo are gonna be ok. I’m pissed at you and I know you think I should hate you but I don’t. We’re family and I love you… and your dad. There’s nothing you can do that’s gonna change that. Nothing.”

“Love you too,” Stiles breathed as he hugged Faith again. “I’m sorry,” he said into her hair.

Faith stood in silent shock at her confession. She hadn’t said those words to anyone before and truly meant it. She did love Stiles and her uncle, more than anything and hearing it back was something else entirely. She smiled into Stiles’ shoulder, giving him a pat on the back. “Come on, enough of this chick flick nonsense. Next thing you know I’ll be watching the Notebook and wearing a dress,” she teased. “It may even be pink!”

Stiles pulled away with a small laugh. “The day you ditch the leather is a sure sign the apocalypse is upon us.”

Faith cuffed him on the back of the head with an easy smile. She was thankful they were back to how they were. “Have anything to say before we eat and you devour what’s on that laptop?” she asked.

“I… thanks,” he said with a light shrug of his shoulders, his gaze locked to his feet. “He wasn’t wrong though about…” He waved hand at her. “You do kinda look...”

“Is that weird?” Faith probed.

Stiles shook his head. “It was for the first ten seconds but then you opened your mouth.”

Faith cuffed him around the back of the head again as they both chuckled. “Ok,” she said after a moment. “I don’t know about you but I’m starved. Watching Jackson go about his life was about as fun as having my ass kicked by Peter Hale.”

She gave his arms one last squeeze before she pulled away to bring over the pizzas. She hoped they hadn’t gone completely cold during all the drama. If they were Stiles didn’t look like he cared by the way he tore into the box and began eating with one hand and perusing her laptop with the other.

As Stiles kept himself busy, Faith cleared the table top of all her uncle’s police files. She glanced and sped read a few pages but could see that they had nothing new to add to what Dawn already found out. There were a few things they obviously didn’t have but Faith was intrigued by the rise in animal attacks, which looked to be happening before Laura Hale was murdered. One such item showed a picture of a dead deer with a spiral shape cut into its body. Faith took a picture with her phone and sent a quick text to Dawn asking her if she could research the meaning of the spiral design. She knew it could mean nothing but she wasn’t leaving anything to chance.

After she tidied the files away she walked back into the dining room just as Stiles’ cell rang to announce that Scott was calling him. She listened as Stiles answered, picking up a slice of pizza and sitting beside Stiles. Faith stopped with the pizza half way to her mouth when she saw the look of shock on Stiles’ face. She heard him agree to Scott that they would help and watched as he hung up.

“What is it?” she asked, setting the pizza slice back into the box; her appetite long forgotten. “Is Scott alright?”

“It’s not Scott. It’s his mom.” Stiles explained as his brow furrowed in worry. “She’s on a date with Peter Hale right now. It looks as though he’s upped his game and went straight to forcing Scott by threatening to change his mom.”

Faith stood abruptly. “Let’s go. We can head them off and make sure their date doesn’t even begin.”

Stiles closed the laptop and followed Faith out the front door.

“What are we going to do?” he asked as they walked to their vehicles.

“We need to grab Scott and then…” Faith stopped in the driveway. “You are going to make sure they don’t go anywhere.”

“How? It’s not like I can ram them off the road,” Stiles pointed out.

Faith grinned. “That’s exactly what you are gonna do,” she exclaimed.

Stiles reeled back. “Excuse me? I think you’ve forgotten how this works.” He pointed at himself. “I come up with stupid idea with my usual brand of sarcasm and wit and you,” he said, pointing at Faith, “Shoot me down telling me I’m an adorable idiot followed by a slap to the head. I wasn’t being serious before. I can’t do that!”

Faith pulled them closer together as she looked around for the curtain twitchers that Stiles kept going on about. “You just need to hit them hard enough so that it ruins their night.”

“But… my jeep,” Stiles whined. “I just got it fixed.”

“Would you rather Scott’s mom is with Peter all night?” Faith countered. Stiles shook his head and looked to argue again but Faith spoke over him. “I’ll pay for the damage to your jeep. It’s not like I don’t already owe you for all your missed birthdays and Christmases.”

“What will you do?”

“I’ll stay behind you and make sure nothing else happens. Peter isn’t going to attack you in public but best be safe than sorry. Also, make sure that Scott isn’t in the car after you hit them. You don’t want his mom asking questions,” Faith explained.

“Yeah, she’s gonna go nuts at me. She’s scary when she’s angry. I learned that after Scott and I thought it would be a good idea to see what happens when you put dish soap into the washing machine.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m banned from their laundry room and ours for life.”

Faith gave him a small smile. “Go pick up Scott and I’ll be behind you the whole way.”

She got into her car and waited for Stiles to leave before following after. A horrible feeling had formed in her gut the moment that Stiles had told her about Ms McCall. Her spidey senses had been rocketing ever since and she hated that feeling. It made her feel as though things were soon to get out of control.

Faith pushed her thoughts to the back of her mind and concentrated on the matter at hand. They had to get to Scott’s mom before anything happened and that whatever happened after that then she’d deal with as it comes.

***

Faith ran through the trees, allowing her senses to guide her to her destination. She’d been through the woods so many times since she’d been in Beacon Hills that she’d mapped them out in her mind and could probably close her eyes and still end up where needed to be.

After Stiles had executed their plan to ruin Ms McCall’s date with Peter, Faith and Scott had watched from behind a parked car as Ms McCall went angry mom on Stiles. Faith had promised that she’d make it up to Stiles after everything calmed down because he was right when he said that Ms McCall was scary when she was mad. Faith thought Giles was the master of the exasperated adult look but had been proven wrong by a woman even smaller than her. Peter on the other hand had known that she and Scott were also there and had proceeded to tell Scott that he had also planned to go after Jackson.

Faith had taken off seconds later, leaving Scott to follow her. She had mentally cursed Jackson as she’d made her way into the woods and also herself for being stupid enough to think that he’d have just stayed at home all night. As the darkness of the woods covered her, she used the moon as a guide to lead her way.

She could hear Scott ahead of her and she had to give herself credit for being able to keep up with him. She knew as a Slayer that she was fast and Buffy had said that many times that Angel and Spike sometimes had trouble keeping up with her back in the day but it was different being able to do it.

It wasn’t that she had some sixth sense and knew that Derek would have taken Jackson to the Hale house; it was just something she felt with her entire being and she’d allowed her mind to carry her body there. Scott had agreed with her as he’d confirmed that Derek and Scott’s scents were headed there.

Faith halted as she came to the back of the Hale house, her breathing fast and her heart felt as though it would beat right out of her chest.

“Derek is in there with Jackson,” Scott said as he came to a stop beside her. She gave him a curt nod in agreement. “What do you want to do?” he asked her.

She turned to face him and could see that he’d wolfed out; teeth longer and sharper, brow furrowed that reminded her of a vampire and his eyes a vibrant yellow. It was the abundance of hair that materialised that had her bite back a small laugh even with the tension surrounding them. She couldn’t help compare him to Oz and how different they were and then it had her wonder how Derek looked.

“I want you to head upstairs. I’m going to go in through the back and come up behind them. Hopefully, he’s too busy with Jackson to notice us,” she said as she watched Scott turn back. “Protect Jackson.” She looked up at the house again. “You leave Derek to me.”

Scott nodded at her and disappeared.

Faith took a deep breath and steeled herself for what was going to happen next. She walked in through the back of the house; careful not to move anything that would give away she was there. She could see that the room she had entered was once a very large kitchen but now was a blacked out shell with beams falling from the floor above showing the void where a ceiling had once been. She ducked and climbed over the beams with ease, keeping her movements light and fast. When she finally came to the entrance of the hallway she could hear Jackson and Derek talking. She tiptoed forward, using the shadows to hide her from view as she made her way closer. Jackson looked and sounded terrified as Derek loomed over him.

“Look around you! Wouldn't there be someone here trying to save you? There's no one here. There is a reason no one cares that you drive an expensive car. No one cares that you have perfect hair, and no one cares that you're captain of the lacrosse team,” Derek growled at Jackson.

“Excuse me!” Scott shouted out gaining Jackson and Derek’s attention. “Co-captain.”

Faith looked up as Scott jumped from his position at the top of the stairs, landing in front of Derek, blocking his path to Jackson. She let out a gasp as she watched Derek wolf out – definitely nothing like Oz. She was more intrigued than anything and urged to touch everywhere, more so than usual.

“Move,” Derek ordered through his fangs as he glared at Scott.

“No!” Scott pushed back.

Faith grabbed the back of Jackson’s jacket, pulling him backwards. He yelped as she pushed him against the wall. His eyes widened as he looked into her eyes.

“You,” He whispered.

Faith nodded at him, bringing a finger to her lips and pointed to where she’d come from. “Go or I’ll finish what he was gonna start,” she threatened as she shoved him away. She didn’t look to see if Jackson had left as she kept her attention on Scott and Derek.

“Fine, I’ll kill you too,” Derek growled at Scott.

Faith stepped out of the shadows, revealing where she’d been hidden. “Oh I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” She stuffed her hands deep into her pockets as both werewolves turned to face her. She turned to Scott. “Make sure Jackson got out safely.” She indicated to Derek with a nod. “He’s mine.”

Scott looked from Derek to Faith for a moment, his eyes unsure if he wanted to leave her alone.

“Kid, don’t make me tell you again,” Faith warned, her gaze never leaving Derek. “Go.”

Scott gave her a curt nod before giving one last glare at Derek as he walked through the back of the house to where Jackson had left.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Derek growled. “I don’t want you here.”

“I’ve never been good at following orders.” Faith shrugged. “I just wanted to see if Peter was telling the truth since, you know, bad guys do tend to lie but lo and behold what do I find? You ready to take a bite out of Jackson as he looks like he wants to piss himself.” She casually walked forward. “Stop me if I’m wrong.”

With Derek’s silence she growled at him causing him to look at her in shock. “I’m just gonna take your silence as an admission of guilt,” she stated simply.

“Jackson knows too much to be allowed…” Derek argued but trailed off under Faith’s scrutiny.

“So do I,” Faith countered. “Gonna try and take me out next? How about Stiles? He knows way more than Jackson.” Not waiting for an answer from Derek she continued with a dry laugh. “Because I gotta tell you, one ends with a serious beat down and the other with me mounting you and your uncle’s head on my wall. Choose wisely,” she threatened.

“I wouldn’t.”

Faith snorted. “Like you could.”

“I just wouldn’t,” Derek proclaimed.

“Then tell me WHY?!” She shouted at him in frustration. Faith growled out low before she ran forward, grabbed Derek by his leather jacket and pushed him back until his back hit the wall beside the front door. She felt the entire foundations of the house quake around her. They both looked up as dust and debris fell around them. She looked back to Derek who was watching her in alarm. “Why now?” she said through gritted teeth. “I thought we were working together to take down Peter? Is that all bullshit?”

“I was following orders,” Derek said as he fought against her but Faith’s hold wasn’t waning. In fact, the more he struggled the harder the grip on him got. He could feel her shaking with undeniable rage and briefly wondered what was holding her back. Sheer instinct was bracing for a hit and he slightly panicked the longer he waited for impact. It had been a long time since he’d felt real fear and he could see the glimpse of the warrior Faith was as they talked; the fierce look in her eyes and the sheer raw power emanating from her – wild and untamed. The urge to just touch her was overwhelming.

He’d never seen anything more beautiful.

“Peter isn’t your Alpha,” Faith argued. “You aren’t that stupid to take him as your Alpha.”

“How the hell would you know?” Derek shot back.

Faith barked out a laugh. “Because he killed Laura and that fact alone won’t allow you to accept him.” She pushed off him, taking a step back. “Also he tried to kill _me_.”

“Why would that bother me?” Derek stood away from the wall, making his way towards Faith. He stood toe to toe with her, looking down as she looked up at him. He could see no fear in her eyes as she took in his wolfed out appearance. She didn’t look bothered by it at all.

“Because you care about me just as much as I care about you,” she said matter-of-factly, pushing a finger into his chest.

“That so?” He said as he batted her hand away. “Last I checked Slayers don’t mix with the monsters.”

“Yeah,” Faith breathed out. “Then it’s a good thing you aren’t a monster, isn’t it?” At Derek’s stunned expression she added. “I know my monsters and you,” she poked him again, “are no monster.”

Derek shook his head. “You know _nothing_ ,” he snarled. “You think you can save everyone but what if we don’t want to be saved? What if we aren’t worth saving?”

Faith shook her head, eyes wide in shock. “I don’t believe that.” She frowned at him in anger and shoved him back hard enough to cause him to stumble. “And fuck you if you think for one second that you can make me believe it.” She pushed him again, causing him to hit the wall, knocking the wind out of him in the process. “You are worth way more than you think and if doing all of this…” She gestured to their surroundings, indicating what had happened previously with Jackson and Scott. “Is gonna make me suddenly make me change my mind, then you are in for some serious fucking disappointment.” She took a step forward but stopped as she let out a small gasp. “Is that what you wanted?” she asked. She took a step back, turning on her heel to face the staircase.

Derek pushed off the wall to come up behind her as her silence was terrifying. He didn’t even see or hear the punch coming from the right before it was quickly followed up by a left hook to his chin that had him hitting the floor hard. His knees cracked painfully as he landed causing him to let out a harsh breath. His hand grasped his jaw as it throbbed in pain. He looked up to find Faith looking down at him; breathing fast and deep, eyes wide in white hot anger and her fists clenched so tight he could see droplets of blood from where her nails were digging into her palm.

It occurred to Derek in that moment that he may have made a huge mistake. Terrified didn’t even begin to describe the feeling that was coursing through his body.

“What the…” he choked out. He stopped to spit out some blood and what looked to be a few back teeth. His jaw was broken and could feel it begin to heal but that didn’t distract from the sheer pain.

He had been right to fear being hit by a Slayer and it also made him realise she’d been holding back all those other times she’d gotten physical with him. He didn’t think he’d get back up if she hit him again.

They stood in complete silence. Faith’s anger and Derek’s shock palpable; neither moving in case it broke whatever tentative truce that had currently settled between them.

Faith looked at Derek on the ground. She shouldn’t have hit him. The thought that he used her of his own gains had pushed a button and her anger at how she felt in that moment had her hitting him before she realised. She hadn’t even held back either. She could see she’d knocked out a few teeth and really hoped that his healing also grew back teeth and then wondered how that would feel or would it take some time to grow back. She lost herself to those thoughts for a few moments when a bone deep sigh from below her had her snap back to the situation at hand.

With a sigh of her own and a roll of her eyes Faith held out a hand for Derek. “You know you deserved that, right?”

Derek looked at Faith before staring at her offered hand warily. He gave a brief nod and grabbed it, pulling himself up off the floor and bumping into Faith as he got himself steady on his feet. He went to pull away from her and her hand but was pulled forward instead.

“Let’s get some things straight Hale,” Faith said, her tone low and steady as she gave his hand a tight squeeze. “One, I am not yours to manipulate. Do you hear me?” She let his hand go, giving them some room. “Two, I don’t care what you think you are, I am _not_ some sort of executioner and I will not kill you. Understand?”

Derek flinched at her tone. It hurt more than her words. “That’s not what I was doing,” he attempted to explain. “I wasn’t going to kill Jackson. I knew you’d get here in time.” He watched Faith crumble slightly, causing him to add. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, his eyes cast down from the intensity in her stare. “It’s not like it would be a bad thing if you had…,” Derek trailed off. He cringed at the weakness in his voice and the cowardice of his words. It wasn’t that he wanted to die but he always felt he deserved some sort of punishment for what had happened that led to his family’s death.

“What?” Faith blinked in confusion. “What did you just say?” she asked again softly.

“I’m not saying it again,” he said, his head bowed. “You’ve already hit me tonight and I’m not looking for a repeat performance.”

“Then quit it with the dying talk,” she shouted. “I’m not letting that happen. No one is dying.”

Derek shook his head at her. “I’ve come to the conclusion you were sent to test me.”

“Yeah, well, I say we both failing at this point,” Faith established which caused Derek to huff at her. “Are you ok?” she asked cautiously. “I didn’t exactly hold back.” She took a step toward him, her hand held out to touch his jaw but stopped herself before she got too close; unsure whether he’d allow her to come nearer. She let out a small breath of relief when Derek shook his head, grasping her wrist and pulling her closer. They stood in silence as they allowed the tension from before to dissipate completely. Faith could feel her body start to calm slightly from the surge of adrenaline that had coursed through her system but she still felt the residual excess energy. Touching Derek seemed to help ground her somewhat.

“Goddess, I’m starving,” she said aloud, giving an exasperated sigh. “I was in the middle of eating a pretty good pizza before we got the call from Scott.”

Derek huffed out a laugh at her. “Do I even want to know where Stiles is?”

Faith gave him a small smile as she pushed closer to Derek. “Getting his ass chewed out by Scott’s mom for ruining her date with Peter. I owe him so much. I’m kinda afraid of what he’s gonna ask for.”

“You didn’t seem surprised when I said I wouldn’t have killed Jackson?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. “How did you know?”

Faith gave him a thoughtful look, head tilted. “If you wanted him dead then you wouldn’t have gave him that little speech. It would have been pretty pointless if you were gonna just kill him.” She gave him a small smile. “Besides, you don’t come across as the good little soldier who follows orders.”

“Looks who’s observant.”

“Yeah, well it was touch and go when you threatened Scott.” She laid a hand on his chest as she pulled away from him. “Don’t think I wouldn’t have kicked your ass.”

Derek merely shrugged in reply. He didn’t need to tell her she was right.

“What’s really going on Hale?” she prodded him.

“Don’t they say, keep your friends close?”

Faith nodded in understanding. “So what am I? Your friend or your enemy?”

“You… are something else entirely,” he stated, breathing deeply.

“I think we’ve established that,” she teased. “Should we discuss the fact that moments ago we were at each other throats and now, well…” she looked down to how close their bodies had gotten back up to Derek eyeing her with disdain. “Hey, I’m not complaining.” she admonished gently. “Why am I getting the ‘Stiles shut up or I’m gonna rip your throat out with my teeth’ look? Don’t think I don’t know that look even under all that.” She pointed to his wolfed out face. “Which, by the way, totally different from other werewolves I’ve encountered. I didn’t really know what to expect.” She gently brushed a finger over his ridged brow. “I kinda like it. Suits you.”

She watched as Derek looked conflicted before finally giving in. His entire body sagging until Faith was the only one keeping him up; his face still wolfed out and Faith still running her fingertips, gently perusing.

“I need you with me in this,” Faith said quietly. “You can’t go off and do something like this and expect me not to be pissed. Believe me, I _am_ pissed but I’m more worried about leaving you here to deal with Peter.”

“I can handle Peter,” Derek stated.

“Yeah, but at what cost, huh?” Faith asked him.

Derek’s answer was stopped By Scott calling out for Faith from behind them. Faith didn’t move as Derek tensed.

“In here, kid,” Faith shouted back at him.

“Jackson’s on his way home and I figured I’d come and… oh.” Scott stopped at the bottom of the staircase, unsure of how to take in the scene before him; Derek against the wall with Faith plastered over the front of him. “Ummm…”

“It’s five by five, kid,” Faith said to him as she could see from hesitant stance that he was uncomfortable. She pushed off Derek, making sure there enough space between them to appease Scott.

Scott’s wary gaze flicked between Faith and Derek. He narrowed his eyes at Derek, fists clenching instinctively.

“I didn’t hurt her,” Derek told him. “Calm down.”

Scott backed down at his words, fists unclenching. “No one is worried about _you_ hurting _her_.”

Derek and Faith both laughed at him. It wasn't as though he was wrong.

“Thanks kid.” Faith smiled at him. She cast a quick look at Derek. “I think it’s time we headed back.” Derek nodded at her. “Are you…?” she trailed off as she heard a familiar sound from outside.

“COVER YOUR EYES!” Derek shouted as he ducked down, pulling with Faith him. He covered her body as hail of bullets descended upon them, finally manoeuvring them to the wall through broken glass, blocking themselves from the barrage of bullets.

“Scott!” Faith screamed as she watched Scott take a bullet to the stomach. She watched in horror as he staggered back on to the floor, hands clutched to his stomach, blood pouring through his fingers and dripping from his mouth.

Derek let Faith go as she scrambled forward to Scott, grabbing him and hauled him up. She could smell the Wolfsbane in the air, filling her lungs and choking her. “It’s gonna be ok. Come on.” She turned to see Derek looking up at her. “We need to get him out of here,” she shouted at him, turning away from him. She moved towards the back of the house from where she’d first arrived, knowing that was easier than dealing with the firing squad in the front. She stopped when she realised that Derek wasn’t following behind.

“Scott. I want you to keep moving. Don’t stop for anything, do you hear me?” She shouted at him over the continuous gunfire. “I’m gonna go back for Derek. He might be hurt too.”

Scott nodded and left through the back entrance and out into the forest.

She turned back and ran towards the front of the house where she’d last seen Derek. The flash grenades had her blinking back tears, unable to focus on anything but she found him. He was still there, standing with his back to the wall, bullets still flying everywhere. When he saw Faith he roared at her, “What the hell are you doing here? Take Scott and go!”

“And leave you here? Don’t you think I know who is out there?” Faith shouted back at him. She wasn’t stupid enough to think Kate Argent wasn’t out there right now enjoying every moment of this. Faith wondered if she even knew who was in the house with Derek or did she think he was alone?

“She wants me, not you. Find Scott and get him help,” Derek yelled as more windows broke around them, wood splintering as the bullets hit the front door.

Faith stopped. “I can’t leave you here.” She shook her head. “I won’t.”

Derek growled as he grabbed her by her arms, pulling her into him. “Faith,” he said as softly as he could through his fangs. “This is my choice. I’d rather she had me than you. Now go!” He pushed her away again.

Faith stepped back, unsure of whether to leave Derek to the fate of Kate Argent and the rest of her little army of hunters or to stand and fight.

“Don’t even think about it!” Derek shouted at her when he saw the indecision on her face. “Scott needs you now more than me.”

Faith nodded at him, her eyes on the bright lights outside and the never ending bullets coming through the already broken windows and front door. Before she turned to go she rushed back, pushing Derek into the wall as hard as she could.

“I will find you,” she stated. “Listen to my heartbeat. I.WILL. FIND. YOU. ALIVE!” She surged forward, kissing him hard with a clash of teeth and lips, uncaring that Derek was still wolfed out. “You’re _mine_ ,” Faith confessed as Derek’s eyes widen in shock features returning human as she broke the kiss. “And she can’t have you.” She kissed him again soundly. Her arms wrapped around his neck holding him tightly to her. As she pulled away from him, bringing their foreheads together, eyes closed, as she tried to block out the noise around them. “I will tear this entire town apart if I have to,” she vowed to him. She looked back up to see Derek staring at her in awe struck silence. “I promise.”

Derek gave her a nod, letting her go. Faith gave him a nod of her own before taking off through the house and out where she came in. She didn’t chance a look back to Derek as she knew if she did she’d go right back. Even when she heard him roar she kept moving through the trees, ignoring the hurt that felt like a knife to the gut at leaving him behind, and as far away from the Hale house as she could get. Faith was well versed in that feeling and she even had the scar to show for it.

Kate Argent didn’t know it but she’d made herself one hell of an enemy that night and Faith was out for blood.

***

Faith stopped as the sounds of the forest took over her and she could no longer hear bullets or anything. Her heart was beating at an alarming rate but it had nothing to do with over exertion. It was all pure adrenalin and it was threatening to consume her if she didn’t take a moment to calm down and gather her wits about her and concentrate on finding Scott. She surveyed her surroundings and knew she was headed back in the direction of home. She also knew that Scott’s condition would prevent him from making it home.

She didn’t want to think he’d been caught and was checking for any blood trails as best as she could with the light from the moon and her own Slayer senses. She didn’t have night vision but she could make her way around easily enough. Every so often she caught the coppery scent of blood in the air and followed, allowing instinct to guide her way.

She was making her way carefully through the trees when she came upon the clearing she’d been in before with Derek. It seemed like so long ago that she’d taunted Derek there about who and what she was. What she wouldn’t give to go back to that right now.

Faith halted when she heard groans coming from nearby so she sped towards them, silently praying that it was Scott and not some wounded animal. She skidded to a stop when she saw Scott lying on the ground with a dark figure towering over him. Her urge to protect Scott and her adrenalin had her charging forward without a second thought but stopped abruptly when the dark figure, a man, held up his hand.

“It’s fine Miss Lehane. I’m not going to hurt him, or you. I’m here to help,” the man said far too calmly for Faith’s liking. He hadn’t even bothered to look over his shoulder at her as his concentration was focussed fully on Scott. “We need to get him back to the clinic.”

“The clinic?” Faith questioned as she walked towards the prone body of Scott and the unknown man. “I’m not letting you take him anywhere until you tell me who the hell you are?”

She could clearly see that the man was a lot older than her and looked more like a teacher or someone who worked in a an office; his shirt was white and his slacks were light and not exactly something you would wear while taking a stroll through the woods.

The man stood, brushing down his slacks before turning to face Faith full on. He held out his hand to her in greeting. Faith looked at his hand warily and not because it was covered in Scott’s blood like her own.

“He did say you weren’t one to easily trust,” the man commented, pulling his hand back. “My name is Alan Deaton and I know exactly who you are Faith Lehane.”


End file.
